BoV Premier League highlghts

Sliema Wanderers maintained their push for a UEFA Cup place last weekend with a 1-0 win over newly-elected champions Valletta who had been un-beaten in their previous 20 matches.

Branko Nisevic, the former Valletta defender who was only included in the team after captain Brian Said suffered an injury during the pre-match warm-up, hit the Wanderers' winner with a 60th-minute header.

Thanks to their victory, Sliema moved into third place, level on 31 points with Birkirkara and only one behind Marsaxlokk who face Valletta in their final league match.

Birkirkara had spurned the chance to consolidate second place ahead of the final round of matches after a 1-1 draw with Floriana. Davy-Amed Sylla gave Birkirkara a 24th-minute lead with a well-hit volley but the Stripes paid the price for their failure to build on their early supremacy when the Greens struck a last-minute equaliser.

Christian Cassar's cross from a free-kick caused a goalmouth melee and Ryan Darmanin's tame flick took a deflection off Birkirkara defender Ronnie Hartvig on its way into the net.

Birkirkara's Thomas Paris was sent off for two yellow cards in stoppage time.

Marsaxlokk pounced on Birkirkara's slip-up as they jumped back into second place following a 4-3 win over Ħamrun Spartans. Argentine Julio Alcorse, who notched a brace, Kevin Sammut and Aleksandar Madzar scored the goals for Marsaxlokk whose defending during Friday's game left much to be desired.

Having taken the lead through Steve Meilak after 13 minutes, Ħamrun fell 4-1 behind but late goals from Stefan Sultana (penalty) and Bratislav Timotic made the scoreline more respectable for the Spartans who end their league commitments this evening with a match against Birkirkara.

In the Relegation Pool, Hibs made sure of finishing seventh thanks to late goal from Terrence Scerri, on as a substitute at the start of the second half. Hibs played the entire second half with ten men after Nigerian Ndubisi Chukunyere was sent off for dissent. Pablo Doffo had opened the scoring for the Paolites but young striker Francesco Sulas got a temporary equaliser for the already-demoted Hotspurs.

Msida also needed a last-gasp goal to avoid defeat against bottom side Mqabba. Tyrone Farrugia fired a bullet-like free-kick to level matters for Msida after Marcelo Pereira, with his second goal of the match, had put Mqabba 2-1 up two minutes from half-time. Gilbert Camilleri scored Msida's other goal.

Mqabba will bid farewell to Premier League football, at least for the foreseeable future, today when they face Hibernians in their final match.

Statistics

Birkirkara: Mifsud Triganza 11 (1 pen); Sylla 7; M. Galea 6; Tabone 5 (2 pens); Hartvig 4, Bajada 4; Tamboulas, Yanchev, T. Paris, Fenech, Anastasi, Zerafa. Own goal: Rod. Fenech (vs Ħamrun). Red card: Yanchev (vs Sliema Wanderers). Missed penalty: Tabone (vs Floriana).

Floriana: Darmanin 10 (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 10; Spiteri 8, Sultana 8 (3 pens); Rod. Fenech 2, Ryan Fenech 2, Mangion 2, Cucciardi 2, Meilak 2, Timotic 2; Briffa, 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 11 (1 pen); Cohen 6 (1 pen); Doffo 3; Mifsud 2, Agius 2, Xuereb 2 (1 pen), Alcorse 2 (moved to Marsaxlokk), Failla 2; Edafe, Chukunyere, Camilleri. Own goal: Said (vs Sliema). Red cards: Failla (vs Floriana), Edafe (vs Floriana; vs Marsaxlokk). Missed penalties: Cohen (vs Pietà), Scerri (vs Msida SJ), Chukunyere (vs Pietà).

Marsaxlokk: Alcorse 10 (1 pen); Licari 7 (1 pen); Barbara 6, Sammut 6 (1 pen.); Frendo 5, Madzar 5; 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 14 (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; T. Farrugia 5; A. Farrugia 4, Gilberto dos Santos 4 (1 pen); Borg 2; Baldacchino, Ogbonna, Magri, Camilleri. 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 7; Herrera 5, Kondev 5 (4 pens); Q. Refalo 2, Deliminkov 2; Galabov, Goodlip, Pulo, Sulas. Red cards: Aquilina (vs Valletta); Kondev (vs Marsaxlokk); Montfort (vs Msida); Q. Refalo (vs Ħamrun); Pulo (vs Mqabba). Missed penalties: Kondev (vs Msida), Herrera (vs Hibs).

Sliema: Woods 10 (3 pens); Barbara 8 (1 pen.); Madzar 4 (moved to Marsaxlokk), Bartolo 4, Bajada 4; Said 3; Anonam 2, Muscat 2, Briffa 2; Milovanovic, Da Silva, Turner, Nisevic. 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 10; Zammit 8; Giglio 4 (1 pen); Agius 3; Camilleri 2, Scicluna 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); Temile (vs Floriana). Missed penalties: Monesterolo 2 (vs Pietà).

Next fixtures - National Stadium
Today: 6 p.m. Mqabba vs Hibs; 8 p.m. Ħamrun vs Birkirkara.
Thursday: 6 p.m. Pietà vs Msida; 8 p.m. Floriana vs Sliema.