Madzar goal floors Stripes

Birkirkara 0
Floriana 1
Madzar 59

An Aleksander Madzar goal close to the hour handed Floriana three precious points at the expense of ambitious Birkirkara in yesterday's second match at the National Stadium.

The Greens' first win of the season matured courtesy of a cautious approach adopted by coach Zoran Popovic who has equipped his players with the ability to soak the pressure, hold firm in defence while striking at the right time when the opponents are caught off guard.

Yesterday was precisely a case in point with Madzar scoring the all-important goal and while Birkirkara piled the pressure and enjoyed a welter of possession, they failed to grab the equaliser which would have given them at least a point.

Having cruised to a comfortable win over lowly Tarxien in their first outing, Birkirkara knew that this assignment posed more of a challenge as Floriana have bolstered their side with a number of signings which have given Popovic's side a newly-found sense of confidence.

Inside the first quarter, two Birkirkara players, Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza and Ronnie Hartvig had already their names noted in the referee's book. In the end, referee Chris Lautier cautioned seven players as he sought to quell some unorthodox challenges from both sides.

On 17 minutes, Orosco Anonam's sturdy pace paid off in the area as the Floriana player outsmarted goalkeeper Omar Borg before sending a perfect lob towards goal only for Hartvig to clear off the line.

It was the best chance created by either side inside the opening minutes of an otherwise balanced encounter.

Midway through the first half, Mifsud Triganza did well to deliver a low cross from the left as defender Gambin's sliding tackle ensured that the ball is cleared away.

Two minutes before the half hour, Mifsud Triganza again was the provider when he found the unmarked Mallia who sprinted to meet the cross only to miskick his attempt and squander a good opportunity to break the deadlock.

Ten minutes from half-time, Alan Tabone was expected to do much better for the Stripes than simply executing a central free-kick that was easily saved by Maksic.

Birkirkara always enjoyed a slight edge over their opponents and when Zerafa started a move on the left, the onus looked positive as he fed Michael Galea who quickly spotted Mallia. The midfielder tried to burst through but his miscued effort failed to trouble Maksic.

The Greens' custodian was called to intervene on 41 minutes when Paris's delightful cross was controlled by Mifsud Triganza who displayed some excellent ball control before unleashing a powerful shot which was blocked by the Floriana goalkeeper.

Floriana shocked the Stripes by taking the lead on 59 minutes as Madzar did well to beat Borg after being set up by Darmanin.

Stunned by this setback, Birkirkara nearly drew level two minutes later as Mifsud Triganza worked his way inside the area before hooking a cross towards Paul Fenech who was anticipated before delivering the ball home.

Maksic's pedigree came to light on 70 minutes as skipper Galea left three Floriana defenders in his wake before whipping a tricky shot from close range which the goalkeeper palmed away to avoid what seemed a certain goal.

The Greens found themselves crowding their area as Birkirkara stepped into top gear in search of the equaliser. Fenech worked relentlessly to serve his colleagues with goalscoring opportunities but the likes of Galea and substitute Sander Landim failed to create any inroads.

As the clock ticked away, a sense of urgency gripped the Birkirkara players and with Eboh and Briffa marshalling the Greens' central defence to near perfection, the chances of the rearguard cracking under pressure seemed unlikely.

With five minutes of added time, Birkirkara pushed bodies forward but no serious threat was forthcoming to Maksic's goal and Floriana held on for a crucial victory.

Birkirkara
O. Borg-6, T. Paris-6.5 ('77 A. Buhagiar), R. Hartvig-6.5, E. Yanchev-6, P. Fenech-7.5, J. Zerafa-6, G. Mallia-6.5, A. Tabone-6 ('61 S. Bajada-6), T. Cilia-6.5, J. P. Mifsud Triganza-6.5 ('64 W. Sander Landim-6), M. Galea-6.

Floriana
D. Maksic-7, C. Gambin-7, J. Briffa-6.5, D. Pisani-6.5, S. Eboh-7, M. Brincat-6.5, P. Doffo-6.5, O. Anonam-7 ('87 M. Gauci), R. Darmanin-6.5 ('63 C. Caruana-6), A. Madzar-6.5, L. Agius-6 ('90 J. Borg).

Referee: Chris Lautier.

Yellow cards: Triganza, Hartvig, Doffo, Cilia, Mallia, Pisani, Madzar.

BoV player of the match: Orosco Anonam (Floriana).