Mqabba keep promotion hopes but Naxxar crash

Mqabba 2
Tarxien Rainbows 0

Mqabba kept their promotion hopes alive after beating struggling Tarxien Rainbows 2-0 at the Centenary Stadium yesterday.

Despite not setting any houses on fire, Mqabba were the better side and in Jean Paul Muscat they surely had the man-of-the-match.

This was a severe setback for Tarxien as they are still in deep relegation trouble.

Although their last match is against the already-doomed Rabat, they will surely miss the likes of Simon Shead and Maczerob Okoro who will be suspended after the former was dismissed while the latter received his fourth booking.

Mqabba had the better of the first 45 minutes but it was Tarxien who created the first opening when Okoro was a whisker away with a rasping shot.

Mqabba soon took the initiative. Keith Mallia's long range effort finished just over and in the 18th minute Anthony Garzia's team took the lead when from a Muscat corner, Andre Formosa rifled the ball home from the edge of the box.

Mqabba could have added a second when Muscat won a loose ball but the bar denied him from a deserved goal with Valastro beaten. Three minutes before the break, Mallia missed another sitter for Mqabba.

Tarxien almost drew level just before the break but Chris Borg fumbled his chance from a good position.

Soon after the break, Albert Busuttil found Marlon Briffa whose fierce drive hit the side-netting.

In the 68th minute, Valastro did well to block a Mallia drive while at the other end Mqabba goalkeeper Kris Calleja punched away Okoro's shot but Shead hit wide from the rebound.

The Rainbows doubled up their efforts in the late stages but a minute from time Shead was dismissed for dissent. Tarxien's misery was compounded three minutes into added time when Muscat slipped past his marker before blasting home Mqabba's second goal.

Mqabba: K. Calleja, R. Farrugia, A. Busuttil, M. Gauci (M. Catania), M.A. Psaila (E. Lufi), J.P. Muscat, M. Briffa, K. Mallia (E. Gauci), M. Borg, I. Chibueze, A. Formosa.

Tarxien: M. Valastro, M. Farrugia, E. Saliba, M. Schembri (A. Guazzo), M. Caruana, G. Mallia (G. Cutajar), S. Shead, C. Borg, J. Agius, E. Farrugia (B. Testaferrata), M. Okoro.

Referee: Marco Borg.

Senglea Athletic 5
Naxxar Lions 1

Senglea Athletic easily beat a depleted Naxxar Lions outfit to severely dent the Lions' hopes of playing Premier League football next season.

The Cottonera side literally toyed with their opponents and dominated the game throughout.

The Lions must have been disappointed with their performance yesterday and the absence of Chima Dozie, Roderick Spiteri, Simon Muscat, Kevin Fenech and Franco Scicluna, all through suspension, did little to help their cause.

Senglea forged ahead after 15 minutes. From a Trevor Thomas corner-kick, the unmarked Alan Spiteri headed the ball home. Three minutes later, it was 2-0 when from a Spiteri cross, Darren Grech beat Paul Psaila with a low shot.

Naxxar's response failed to arrive and three minutes before the break Senglea went three goals up.

Simon Aquilina's cross was met by Spiteri who chipped the ball past Psaila.

Senglea kept the upperhand and on 56 minutes Trevor Thomas failed to connect onto a Grech inviting cross. However, the Senglea forward soon made up for this miss a minute later when he ably controlled the ball just outside the area before rifling a shot past Psaila to practically seal the points for Senglea.

Naxxar's first attempt at goal arrived on 65 minutes when a Gilbert Camilleri header was tipped over by goalkeeper Elvin Attard.

The Lions did manage to pull one back on 76 minutes when Camilleri profited from a defensive melee in the Senglea area before planting the ball into the net.

But in time added on, Kevin Tonna pounced on a Naxxar defensive blunder to hit Mqabba's fifth goal.

Senglea A.: E. Attard, A. Spiteri, E. Bobolayefa, A. Imbroll, D. Grech (K. Tonna), T. Ghirxi, T. Thomas, L. Attard (C. Caruana), L. Mackay (A. Bonnici), S. Aquilina, F. Dingli.

Naxxar L.: P. Psaila, P. Sixsmith, R. Schembri, D. Gera, J. Mifsud, T. Fenech, C. Mifsud (D. Rapa), I. Zammit, P. Fenech, J. Sant (D. Dimech), G. Mock (G. Camilleri).

Referee: Clayton Pisani.