Brilliant Alamango strike downs Motorlet Spartak

In season 1963-64, the visiting team for the Christmas Tourney was Motorlet Spartak, of Czechoslovakia. They played five matches in Malta, winning three, drawing one and losing the other.

Motorlet were a good team but the Maltese, having just experienced European competitions, were not impressed with the employees of an aircraft factory, who, at the time, were occupying bottom place in their domestic league.

For the first time in the tourney's history, the organisers failed to make any profit. It was the beginning of the end of a tradition which had seen the best years of Maltese football.

I remember seeing two games from that tourney. I saw Motorlet beat my home club Hibernians 3-0 and I also saw Floriana beat the Czechs 3-2 thanks to a fantastic Żarenu Alamango goal.

Alamango came from a famous footballing family which included such great Floriana stalwarts as Ġuże Alamango, who started it all in the 1920s, Ġużi, Johnnie and Salvu who played for Marsa FC.

The game between Floriana and Motorlet did not attract much attention. There were many empty spaces at the stadium that day.

The Greens did not start the game all that convincingly. For the first half-hour they were dominated by a team that, at that moment, was misfiring badly in the league.

And so it went, Spartak having the measure of anything the Greens tried and in return their forwards getting the Floriana defence in a tangle. After only nine minutes Vit floated a free-kick right on the penalty spot and there was Rosenthal to deflect the ball with his head past goalkeeper Fabri.

Spartak moved the ball smoothly, switching from defence to quick counter-attacks which created havoc in the Greens' defensive lines.

Then, in one of these breakaways, Pergl, with admirable composure, controlled the ball, sped past Debattista before slipping it to the right of Fabri to score the second goal.

It seemed, at this stage, that Floriana were in for a drubbing but something happened. I don't know what provoked this sudden change but, whatever it was, it changed the whole tempo of the game.

The Greens suddenly woke up to their responsibilities. They started to pass the ball better and this seemed to charge their enthusiasm.

Floriana surged forward and after a series of speedy moves, goalkeeper Pakorny found himself picking the ball twice from his net.

Floriana's first goal was triggered by a faulty clearance by a Motorlet defender. A scramble ensued and it ended with a free-kick being awarded to Floriana. The ball was headed out but only as far as Lolly Borg who nodded it back where Aquilina pounced before shooting low past the unsighted Czech goalkeeper.

The crowd now began to take notice. Floriana increased their efforts and just on the stroke of half-time, Tony Cauchi twice tested Pakorny from close range. The goalkeeper somehow managed to parry both efforts but the second time the rebound came to Marmara who lost no time in smashing it in.

In the second half it was all Floriana. The Greens were now in the driving seat and they stayed there for the rest of the game. Again and again they came close to scoring but somehow the visitors managed to clear their lines.

Spartak's defence was crumbling quickly as Floriana continued to press their beleaguered opponents. The winning goal had to come and the way it came about still sticks in my memory.

Pullu Demanuele started the move on the wing. Reaching the bye-line he turned back and sent the ball backwards far outside the area. Up strode Żarenu Alamango whose unstoppable first-time drive soared into the net.

It was a goal out of the fairytale book. I have seen many unforgettable goals in more than 50 years of football but this one takes some beating.