BoV Premier League highlights

Valletta are on the threshold of another league triumph, their first in the last seven years. On Monday night, their title credentials were subjected to another acid test as the Citizens locked horns with rivals Birkirkara.

Davy-Amed Sylla nodded Birkirkara ahead 10 minutes into the second half to leave Valletta with an uphill struggle to extend their 18-match unbeaten run in the league. The Stripes, themselves chasing a top-three position and a berth in the UEFA Cup, will have been confident of preserving their slim advantage as the game entered its final 10 minutes but the resilient Valletta refused to give up.

With seven minutes of normal time remaining, Justin Grioli equalised with a diving header to make it 1-1 and shatter Birkirkara's optimism. An engaging match came to a thrilling end as Sebastian Monesterolo, who had come on for Stefan Giglio on 69 minutes, resolved a goalmouth melee by slotting the ball past Omar Borg from close range deep into stoppage time to give Valletta a 2-1 victory.

Monesterolo's winner at the death has taken the Citizens to within touching distance of the Premier League crown as they are eight points clear of second-placed Marsaxlokk with only three games left.

The champions' title hopes all but faded away on Saturday after a 1-0 defeat to Sliema. An acrobatic volley by Ivan Woods three minutes from half-time was enough for Sliema to make it two wins on the trot, in the process resurrecting their bid for a top-three finish. The Wanderers now trail Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara by four and two points respectively.

Also on Saturday, Floriana all but made sure of finishing fifth in the final league standings after a 2-1 victory over Ħamrun Spartans. Yala Bolasie and Manolito Micallef, from a penalty, fired Floriana to a 2-0 first-half lead and Lee James Agius got one back for the Spartans nine minutes into the second period.

In the only match from the Relegation Pool, Msida St Joseph completed their successful survival mission with a 3-1 win over Hibernians who had taken maximum points from their first three matches of the second phase. Msida's goals were scored by Brazilians Pedro Dos Santos and Gilberto Dos Santos and Priso Doding, of Cameroon. Clayton Failla scored Hibs' temporary equaliser seven minutes into the second half.

Premier League stats

Birkirkara: Mifsud Triganza 11 (1 pen); Sylla 6; Tabone 5 (2 pens), M. Galea 5; Hartvig 4, Bajada 4; Tamboulas, Yanchev, T. Paris, Fenech, Anastasi. Own goal: Rod. Fenech (vs Ħamrun). Red card: Yanchev (vs Sliema Wanderers). Missed penalty: Tabone (vs Floriana).

Floriana: Darmanin 9 (1 pen); Micallef 5 (1 pen.); Krsteski 4 (1 pen.); Bolasie 4; Cilia 3, C. Caruana 3, Mifsud 3 (moved to Hibs); Brincat 2, Cassar 2; M. Caruana, Sevasta, Levnaic. Own goal: Chetcuti (vs Sliema). Red cards: M. Brincat (vs Mqabba); Krsteski (vs Sliema); Gauci (vs Hibs); Cassar (vs Mqabba); Bugeja (vs Marsaxlokk); Ciantar (vs Marsaxlokk). Missed penalty: Mifsud (vs Msida).

Ħamrun: Effiong 9; Spiteri 8; Sultana 6 (2 pens); Rod. Fenech 2, Ryan Fenech 2, Mangion 2, Cucciardi 2; Briffa, Timotic, Agius. Own goals: Conceicao (vs Marsaxlokk); Scicluna (vs Valletta). Red cards: Ryan Fenech (vs Pietà); Timotic (vs Birkirkara); Briffa (vs Pietà), Rod. Fenech (vs Hibs; vs Floriana; vs Birkirkara).

Hibernians: Scerri 10 (1 pen); Cohen 6 (1 pen); Doffo 2, Mifsud 2, Agius 2, Xuereb 2 (1 pen), Alcorse 2 (moved to Marsaxlokk), Failla 2; Edafe, Chukunyere, Camilleri. Own goal: Said (vs Sliema). Missed penalties: Cohen (vs Pietà), Scerri (vs Msida SJ). Red cards: Failla (vs Floriana), Edafe (vs Floriana; vs Marsaxlokk).

Marsaxlokk: Alcorse 8 (1 pen); Licari 7 (1 pen); Barbara 6; Frendo 5, Sammut 5 (1 pen.); Madzar 4; Gomes 2, Pace 2, Camenzuli 2, Pullicino 2; Da Silva, Templeman, Mamo. Own goals: Borg (vs Msida); Agius (vs Floriana). Red cards: Conceicao (vs Pietà); Alcorse (vs Sliema); Frendo (vs Valletta); Pullicino (vs Sliema). Missed penalties: Gomes (vs Sliema); Licari (vs Valletta).

Mqabba: Pereira 12 (3 pens); Zarb 2, Silva 2 (2 pens); Gatt Baldacchino, Calleja, Nogueira, Bonnici, Briffa. Red cards: Pereira (vs Birkirkara); M. Psaila (vs Birkirkara); P. Psaila (vs Pietà).

Msida SJ: Doding 10 (3 pens); Pedrinho 8; A. Farrugia 4, T. Farrugia 4, Gilberto dos Santos 4 (1 pen); Borg 2; Baldacchino, Ogbonna, Magri. Red cards: A. Farrugia (vs Birkirkara); Brincat (vs Hibs); Pedrinho (vs Mqabba); Spiteri (vs Marsaxlokk); Doding, Cachia, Grima (all vs Sliema); Bartolo (vs Valletta), T. Farrugia (vs Mqabba). Missed penalties: Doding (vs Hibs); Pedrinho (vs Marsaxlokk).

Pietà Hotspurs: Deanov 6; Herrera 5, Kondev 5 (4 pens); Q. Refalo 2, Deliminkov 2; Galabov, Goodlip, Pulo. Red cards: Aquilina (vs Valletta); Kondev (vs Marsaxlokk); Montfort (vs Msida); Q. Refalo (vs Ħamrun). Missed penalties: Kondev (vs Msida), Herrera (vs Hibs).

Sliema: Woods 9 (3 pens); Barbara 8 (1 pen.); Madzar 4 (moved to Marsaxlokk), Said 3; Anonam 2, Muscat 2, Briffa 2, Bartolo 2, Bajada 2; Milovanovic, Da Silva, Turner. Own goals: Bonnici (vs Mqabba); Sciberras (vs Pietà). Red cards: Bajada (vs Ħamrun); Pace (vs Birkirkara); Da Silva (vs Marsaxlokk); Woods (vs Ħamrun). Missed penalties: Woods (vs Birkirkara 2); Barbara (vs Floriana).

Valletta: Monesterolo 19 (4 pens); Temile 9; Zammit 8; Giglio 4 (1 pen); Camilleri 2, Scicluna 2, Agius 2, Backhaus 2, Mifsud 2, Grioli 2; Mattocks, Bondin, Falzon. Own goal: Mallia (vs Birkirkara). Red cards: Zammit (vs Pietà); Mattocks (vs Mqabba); Monesterolo (vs Floriana); Bezzina (vs Hibs). Missed penalties: Monesterolo 2 (vs Pietà).