Early goals give City derby joy

Valletta 2
Floriana 1

Valletta picked a fine match to reassert their challenge for the suddenly coveted runner-up spot.

Squaring up to perennial rivals Floriana for the fourth and final time this season, the Citizens scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes and survived their opponents' frenetic efforts in a dramatic finale to eke out a 2-1 victory and ruin the Greens' efforts of netting their first win in the Championship Pool on the eve of the feast of St Publius.

Given the long-standing enmity between these two teams, the tension that characterised yesterday's derby was perhaps to be expected but a predominantly clean match was overshadowed by incidents sparked by a handful of thugs at the end of the match.

Police intervention was needed to prevent the violence from escalating as rivals fans hurled insults at each other and nearly came to blows in the parking area behind the enclosure of the National Stadium.

These despicable acts tempered the significance of Valletta's victory, one that propelled them back into second place after they had been temporarily dislodged from such position by Hibernians who had the better of Marsaxlokk 3-0 on Thursday.

The game was barely one minute old when Floriana striker Nicolò Baldacchino was running at Valletta's goal but Massimo Grima slid in to dispossess him by pushing the ball away for a corner.

Grima was making a return to the City starting XI after being consigned to the bench for the last two league matches. The former Sliema player assumed a central defensive role to replace Sharlon Pace who is out with a groin injury.

The unenviable task of filling in for skipper Gilbert Agius, ruled out by suspension, fell on the lean shoulders of the up-and-coming forward Ian Zammit while Miguel Montfort deputised for Sean Sullivan, also serving a one-match ban yesterday.

Floriana had Brazilian stalwart Andre Rocha Da Silva making his much-awaited comeback from injury.

Baldacchino's run into the City box in the first minute had shed light on Floriana's determination to make a contest of their derby with Valletta but their early optimism dissipated after three minutes when Valletta scored.

Zammit swung a cross from the right towards Chris Oretan who rolled the ball into the path of Mark Galea on the edge of the area. Hitting the ball first-time, Galea's effort lacked potency but the seemingly well-placed Reuben Gauci was wrong-footed by Azzopardi's deflection.

Galvanised by their early breakthrough and the no nonsense movement of Zammit, Valletta put pressure on the flat-footed Floriana rearguard.

A fine one-two between Milen Penchev and Galea saw the latter making headway inside the Floriana penalty area before flicking the ball past the onrushing Gauci. His shot looked destined to finish wide but the backtracking Ciantar struck his own crossbar in a frantic attempt to clear the ball away. Floriana held their breath but Valletta persisted with their move, Gauci bringing off a fine save from a Zammit thunderbolt.

The Greens' frustration deepened on 20 minutes when Valletta doubled their lead. And what a soft goal it was as Zammit challenged Floriana goalkeeper Gauci as he was effecting a clearance, the ball ricocheting off the young City striker and sailing agonisingly into the net.

Six minutes from half-time Da Silva got behind the four-man Valletta defence but Montfort hurled his body in the way to block the Brazilian's attempt to make further progress.

Minutes later Da Silva's pass filtered through to Manolito Micallef inside the Valletta box but Montfort came out in a trice to cover the angle and eventually tipped away his effort from close range.

At half-time, Willie Vassallo, the Floriana coach, chose to introduce another striker in the shape of Anthony EviParker instead of defender Joseph Craig Schembri. A second substitution followed on 53 minutes when Christian Cassar came on for Steve Wellman.

For all their toils to pep up their attacking threat, Floriana rarely troubled the well-oiled Valletta team for whom Grima was an imposing figure in defence and Fenech bossed midfield thanks to his non-stop running.

In a rare foray into the Valletta half, Trevor Cilia could have dragged his team back into the game when Baldacchino served him just outside the area but his fierce drive was repelled by Bondin.

Floriana managed to revive their flagging hopes of salvaging the game 10 minutes from the end when EviParker pounced on a short clearance by Forace and unleashed a powerful shot that had the better of Montfort.

EviParker could have grabbed a dramatic equaliser for Floriana when Ryan Darmanin's cross from the right reached him at the near post but Montfort deviated the ball away.

More drama unfolded in stoppage time as Montfort denied Floriana an equaliser when palming away Caruana's pullback from a Cilia corner and from the ensuing move, three Valletta players ran unimpeded towards goal but lost precious time as Gauci first opposed to Zammit's shot before bundling the incoming Chris Camilleri to the ground.

Referee Lorry Sammut flourished the red card to dismiss Gauci and as Vassallo had already effected his three substitutions, skipper Caruana assumed the responsibility of defending Floriana's goal.

When the official's final whistle rang around the National Stadium a few minutes later, the City fans erupted with joy. Their celebrations and taunts led to tempers becoming frayed in the section occupied by the Floriana faithful as some supporters clashed with police officers amid a torrent of insults.

The trouble continued outside the stadium where opposing fans confronted each other before the police, headed by assistant commissioner Josie Brincat, moved in to restore calm. Some policemen suffered minor injuries during the clashes and two fans were arrested.

Valletta: M. Montfort-7, R. Forace-6 ('82 K. Bonnici), B. Nisevic-6, M. Grima-8, K. Cassar-6, C. Oretan-5, M. Penchev-6, I. Zammit-8, K. Fenech-7 ('82 A. Debono), J. Bondin-7, M. Galea-6 ('90 C. Camilleri).

Floriana: R. Gauci, I. Azzopardi-6, N. Baldacchino-6, M. Caruana-5, C. Ciantar-6, T. Cilia-5, R.M. Gango-Rtsa-6, A. Rocha Da Silva-7, J.C. Schembri-5 ('45 A. EviParker), S. Wellman-6 ('53 C. Cassar-5), M. Micallef-6 ('76 R. Darmanin).

Referee: Lorry Sammut.

Scorers: Galea 3; Zammit 20; EviParker 80.

Yellow Cards: Penchev; Micallef; Fenech.

Red Card: Gauci 90.

Player Of The Match: Milen Penchev (Valletta).