Cilia double guides Floriana to final

Floriana 2
Sliema Wanderers 0

A fairytale end to a tumultuous season has become a distinct possibility for Floriana.

A week after their heroic fightback in the 3-3 draw against Mosta laid their relegation fears to rest, Floriana yesterday bolstered their hopes of European football next season after a 2-0 victory over Old-Firm rivals Sliema Wanderers booked them a place in the FA Trophy final.

Trevor Cilia was Floriana's hero yesterday with a well-taken double in 17 second-half minutes but their victory was a triumph of the collective and the youth.

Their fearless, adventurous display rattled former champions Sliema who had set themselves the target of an FA Trophy success to make amends for their failure to retain the title.

Cometh the hour, Sliema were found wanting, their physical and technical frailties leaving them desperately short of cutting edge in midfield and attack. Indeed, were it not for the stout defending of their back personnel, Floriana might have inflicted a deeper wound on the inert Blues.

Floriana's progress to the final also means that Marsaxlokk will have to play in the Intertoto Cup regardless of the outcome of today's second semi-final between Birk-irkara and Hibs.

Stefan Giglio's return to fitness should have been a significant boost for Sliema Wanderers' bid to advance to the final. With Ivan Woods forced out by suspension, Edward Aquilina, the Sliema coach, cast Giglio in a supporting offensive role off the shoulders of Danilo Doncic.

Floriana were also beset by the absence of their primary font of goals this season after loanee Adrian Mifsud received a one-match ban yesterday.

Jan Artz restored Christian Cassar and Julian Briffa to the starting line-up after suspension had prevented them from taking part in Floriana's match against Mosta.

Nigerian forward Anthony Eviparker entered the fray after 31 minutes of Floriana's last league match but his participation yesterday was from the first minute as Artz opted to leave Clifton Ciantar and Kurt Formosa out of the initial XI.

With both sides taking a while to infuse a semblance of accuracy into their passing, constructive football was very much in short supply in the opening 20 minutes.

Sliema had Lee Lombardi keeping a close eye on the movement of Trevor Cilia as Artz began the match with a three-pronged attack.

The first chance of note came after 19 minutes when Rufin Oba intercepted a pass from Mauro Di Lello and slipped the ball through to Eviparker. The latter's central shot was saved by Murphy Akanji.

Within minutes, Floriana broke forward on the counter but their promising foray was brusquely stopped by a clattering tackle by Darren Debono on Christian Caruana. Referee Clayton Pisani fetched his yellow card to book the Sliema defender.

Sliema's worries increased on 26 minutes when Akanji suffered an injury after a collision with Oba inside the penalty area. The Nigerian goalkeeper was carried away on a stretcher, his place in the team taken by Matthew Camilleri whom Sliema signed on loan from Floriana.

Nine minutes from half-time, Floriana threatened to break the stalemate when Manolito Micallef's pass filtered through to Eviparker but the latter dragged his shot across the face of goal. Cilia dived in to attempt a last-ditch grounder from an angle position but his effort rolled into the side-netting.

In their first significant raid on Floriana's defence, Sliema almost hit the target. Joe Brincat's free-kick from a central position squirmed dangerously into the goalmouth where Giglio stuck out a foot to flick the ball but his effort came off the post.

Towards the end of the opening 45 minutes, Caruana, full of energy and clever movement thus far, sent a rising shot wide of the near post.

At the other end, Doncic should have given Sliema the lead when freed by Giglio's through-pass but the Serbian striker hooked his shot high and wide with only Agius standing in front of him.

Caruana again tested waters early in the second half with a piledriver that sailed wide of the far post.

Most of Sliema's play in the first half had been sloppy and the early exchanges served up scant evidence that their half-time break helped to drain the rustiness from their system.

The second half was 12 minutes old when Artz made his first substitution, Ian Ciantar coming on for the limping Briffa.

Three minutes later, the Greens mounted another pacey counter-attack through Oba who waited for Eviparker to make his way into the box before serving him. When the ball eventually left Oba's feet, Eviparker was clear of Said but his first-time volley flew wide of the post.

Sliema's alarm was raised when Ciantar dispossessed Lombardi just outside the penalty area. The ball was quickly moved in the path of Oba who slipped in a through pass to the sprinting Cilia but Camilleri read the Floriana speedster's intention to cross to block the ball.

Floriana's adventurous approach reaped its just rewards 19 minutes from time, Cilia slotting the ball past Camilleri after Oba swept a pass behind the erstwhile solid Sliema defenders. The Blues claimed that Cilia had strayed in an offside position when Oba supplied his pass but assistant referee Charlie Micallef was unmoved.

The Wanderers' uphill task would have taken mountainous proportions had Di Lello not stopped Caruana with a strong tackle when he was in the act of shooting.

Aquilina made two changes in the space of a few minutes, bringing on Alex Muscat and John Mintoff for Giglio and Brincat respectively.

Ten minutes from time, it was Camilleri who kept Sliema in the game with a tipping save from another Caruana dipper.

As the minutes ticked away, Aquilina instructed Said to abandon his central defensive position in favour of an attacking role alongside Doncic.

Turner was just wide with a rasping drive and Doncic headed over the bar from a Said assist.

Three minutes from time, a prolonged attack by Floriana should have yielded them the killer goal but first Oba and then Micallef were foiled by the desperate defending of the Wanderers.

That proved only a temporary reprieve for Sliema as two minutes from time, Floriana again unleashed a counter-attack which saw Caruana supplying the ball towards the unmarked Cilia who tucked the ball past Camilleri with the nonchalance of a veteran.

In time added on, Doncic was denied a consolation goal for Sliema when his dangerous strike from a fine position was deflected away for a corner.

Floriana: S. Agius, J. Briffa ('57 I. Ciantar), I. Azzopardi, M. Caruana, R.M. Gango-Rtsa, R. Oba, C. Cassar, C. Caruana, A. Eviparker ('76 C. Ciantar), T. Cilia ('90 K. Formosa), M. Micallef.

Sliema: M. Akanji ('26 M. Camilleri), J. Brincat ('79 J. Mintoff), M. Di Lello, B. Said, D. Debono, L. Lombardi, N. Turner, D. Doncic, R. Bajada, J. Chetcuti, S. Giglio ('75 A. Muscat).

Referee: Clayton Pisani.

Scorer: Cilia 71, 88.

Yellow Cards: Debono; Chetcuti; Brincat; Di Lello.