Bold Pietà almost rattle Wanderers

Pietà Hotspurs 2
Sliema Wanderers 2

The curtains on the 2002-2003 league season were brought up in dramatic fashion, at least in the way the Sliema-Pietà match ended. A goal in injury time by the Hotspurs was followed up seconds later by the Blues' equaliser, episodes which brought about a rousing finale to this first league clash of the season.

As it turned out, a tactically well-deployed Pietà were only just denied of maximum spoils against their more fancied opponents. They had upped their game considerably in the second period to reduce the Wanderers to a struggling lot.

Sliema had been the more positive outfit in the first part of the game and goalkeeper Saviour Darmanin had to pull off a couple of fine saves to keep his net intact.

The Wanderers' feared three-pronged attacking formation were gradually being allowed little space to rip through a well-organised Hotspurs' defence which had man-of-the-match Mirko Jurilj as an excellent king-pin.

Pietà's reaction after ends were changed caused anxiety in Sliema's ranks and it was only that last-ditch salvo which saved the Blues' blushes.

There was hardly a whiff from the sparsely-filled main stand as both teams went about stroking the ball along the sun-drenched surface at the Ta' Qali stadium.

The Blues, without the injured influential midfielders Noel Turner and Joe Brincat had a flexible 3-4-3 formation, whilst the Hotspurs responded with an identical set-up.

Digger Okonkwo and Mauro Delello took up close surveillance on Danilo Doncic and Bizu, respectively. On the other side, Chris Okoh supervised any possible incursions of Ivan Woods as he was supported on the left by the occasionally deep-lying David Camilleri.

Jeffrey Chetcuti shadowed Malcolm Licari on the opposite flank. Otherwise, Sliema looked a trifle more disposed to move forward in numbers, although they could only fashion two efforts at goal, from Bizu and Kevin Sammut inside the first half-hour.

Kevin Mamo was alert enough to deny Sammut with Darmanin beaten. The Pietà goalkeeper followed up with a fine save on Nenad Veselji. The Blues kept forcing the pressure with Doncic missing the target on a diagonal chip.

Newcomer Sharlon Pace was at times forced to contend with the incisive running of Bizu as the Brazilian kept shifting flanks with Veselji. Still the breakthrough for the Wanderers was hard to come by as Jurilj kept marshalling his rearguard to good effect.

At half-time Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia for the Hotspurs and Edward Aquilina for the Wanderers must have gone for some re-drafting of their team's tactical set-up.

Okonkwo's header on a Jurilj free-kick went flashing past the upright shortly after the restart. Veselji was clear on the left, but his uncalled-for pass to Bizu was covered.

Exchanges did not brighten up as there was hardly a sniff of goal, except for a Darmanin blocking save on Doncic after a slip by the Pietà defence.

The Hotspurs started shedding off their submissiveness and midway through the second period they were awarded a penalty after Akanji impeded Licari. Woods converted in style.

Sliema were forced to dig deep in order to at least save the game. But the Hotspurs pulled more men down and became more disposed to operate on the counter.

Pietà's lead only lasted nine minutes as Doncic served Veselji with a cute throughball before the latter slid past Darmanin.

It was touch and go at this point even if the Blues were again slightly more insistent. However, it was Pietà who nearly regained the advantage as Licari's looping header from the left forced Akanji into a splendid lunging save.

The cold shower for Sliema came in added time when a slick move between Woods and Jamie Pace had Licari running through to touch splendidly over the goal-line with Akanji looking indecisive.

But that shower turned to be lukewarm as Massimo Grima cashed in on a bad Darmanin sortie in the dying seconds to chip into the net.

Pietà Hotspurs: S. Darmanin, M. Delello, M. Jurilj, D. Okonkwo, G. Sciberras, I. Woods, M. Licari, K. Mamo, S. Pace, A. Debono (A. Galea), J. Pace.

Sliema Wanderers: M. Akanji, B. Said, J. Chetcuti, C. Okoh (J. Mifsud), R. Mangion, K. Sammut, M. Grima, D. Camilleri, E. Do Nascimento, D. Doncic, N. Veselji.

Referee: L. Sammut.

Scorers: Woods 67 (pen), Veselji 76, Licari 90, Grima 90.

Yellow cards: D. Okonkwo, A. Debono.

Player of the Match: Mirko Jurilj (Pietà Hotspurs).