Marsaxlokk cut City's lead to five points

Marsaxlokk 2
Floriana 0

An excellent volley from Kevin Sammut and a Carlo Mamo goal just before the end of the first half guided Marsaxlokk back to winning ways, in the process pushing the champions above Birkirkara in second place in the table.

The two-goal cushion obtained in the first half was enough for Marsaxlokk to control proceedings and stroll to an easy win as Floriana rarely tested Reuben Debono in goal. To make matters worse for the dispirited Greens, left-back Clifton Ciantar was sent off early in the second half.

Thanks to their win yesterday, Marsaxlokk, who were coming from back-to-back defeats to Valletta, in the league, and Birkirkara, in the FA Trophy quarter-finals, not only reclaimed second spot but also narrowed the gap on the Citizens to five points with four games remaining.

Coach Brian Talbot had to reshuffle his pack as well as make a spate of positional changes as striker Julio Alcorse and Gareth Sciberras are sidelined by injuries. Midfielder Trevor Templeman was suspended.

Floriana have also had their fair share of problems to deal with lately. Although still in with a chance to win the FA Trophy, the Greens have had to come to terms with the grim prospect that they will not take part in any European competitions next season, even if they gain a sporting right to do so. This is due to an administrative mishap that saw Floriana lodge their application for a UEFA licence a day after the deadline.

Yesterday, Floriana had to make do without the unavailable Darko Krsteski and Christian Cassar, the latter still recovering from flu.

Regular goalkeeper Simon Agius was named as a substitute as coach Danilo Doncic confirmed Jurgen Micallef in goal. Mano Micallef also missed out on a starting berth but he came on as a second-half substitute.

Marsaxlokk forward Aleksandar Madzar was the first player to get a decent sniff at goal as his fierce drive from outside the penalty area inside the first 10 minutes had the ball shaving the crossbar.

On 20 minutes, the champions took the lead. Floriana's goalkeeper failed to grab the ball from a cross and Ciantar's short clearance from inside the box fell to Sammut who unleashed an unstoppable volley that flew into the net via the crossbar for an excellent goal.

Bolstered by their early opener, Marsaxlokk took charge of the game as Floriana failed to make a reaction. Four minutes from half-time, the Greens' defence wilted again as it failed to deal with Frendo's corner, Madzar's shot was only partially blocked and Marsaxlokk captain Carlo Mamo was on hand to tap the ball home.

At the start of the second half, Doncic effected a double substitution as Zoran Levnaic and Yala Bolasie made way for Mauro Brincat and Micallef respectively. Brincat did not start as he has just recovered from a slight hamstring injury.

Any hopes Doncic may have had of seeing his side force their way back into the reckoning all but disappeared two minutes into the second half as Ciantar was dismissed for a second booking following a late tackle on the enterprising Frendo.

Trailing by two goals and down to ten men, Doncic opted to bring on defender Duncan Pisani in lieu of Joseph Borg on 53 minutes in a bid to contain the runs of Frendo and Madzar.

Midway through the second half, Madzar should have done better than shoot weakly from close range after being served by Frendo. His effort was touched away for a corner by Micallef.

Into the last 10 minutes, Floriana won a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and Trevor Cilia rolled the ball towards substitute Micallef whose shot failed to test Debono.

At the other end, Peter Pullicino's dipping shot after a cross from Mark Barbara forced Micallef to fingertip the ball over the woodwork.

In the dying minutes, Marsaxlokk defender William Camenzuli executed a typical fierce free-kick from outside the penalty area but Micallef fisted the ball away to deny the Blues a third goal.

Marsaxlokk: R. Debono-6, C. Mamo-6.5, C. Magro-6.5 ('86 S. Tellus), W. Camenzuli-6.5, P. Pullicino-7, J. Pace-7, C. Frendo-7.5 ('86 S. Wellman), K. Sammut-7.5, A. Madzar-6.5, M. Barbara-6.5 ('90 S. Scicluna), M. Licari-6.5.

Floriana: J. Micallef-6.5, J. Briffa-6, M. Sevasta-6, S. Eboh-6, C. Ciantar, T. Cilia-6, Z. Levnaic-6 ('46 M. Brincat-6), J Borg-5.5 ('53 D. Pisani-5.5), Y. Bolasie-5.5 ('46 M. Micallef-6), C. Caruana-5.5, R. Darmanin-5.5.

Referee: Kevin Azzopardi.

Scorers: Sammut 20; Mamo 41.

Yellow cards: Pullicino; Ciantar; Eboh; Brincat.

Red card: Ciantar (F) 47.

BoV Player of the match: Cleaven Frendo (Marsaxlokk).