Caruana's goal boosts Floriana's top-six push

Ħamrun Spartans 0
Floriana 1
Caruana 61

Floriana began their second round commitments with a 1-0 victory over Ħamrun Spartans to bolster their chances of claiming a coveted place in the Championship Pool.

In a game that burst to life in the second half, Floriana landed the killer punch just past the hour courtesy of the returning Christian Caruana but their winning margin over a battling but disjointed Spartans side would have been greater had they taken their chances, including a late penalty that captain Mauro Brincat drove straight at Spartans goalkeeper Ivan Casha.

To add insult to injury for the crisis-hit Spartans, striker Gaetan Spiteri was sent off in the dying stages, his third red card in 10 matches this season. While defeat left the Spartans rooted to the bottom of the standings, Floriana took their tally to 18 points from 10 matches.

Caruana and Sunday Eboh were restored to Floriana's starting XI after suspension kept them out of their team's 3-1 win over Tarxien.

Making way for Caruana was Aleksandar Madzar while Eboh, who was a colossus in the Floriana defence, replaced the injured Julian Briffa.

Hindered by a dearth of defenders after Zoran Levnaic was handed a one-match ban, Ħamrun coach Steve D'Amato awarded a first-team recall to Keith Fabri while Neville Galea returned from injury.

Creative football proved hard to come by in the opening 12 minutes. Ħamrun thought they had broken the deadlock when Spiteri, freed by Manolito Micallef's flick, rammed past Dejan Maksic but the 'goal' was chalked off due to the Spartans' striker offside position.

Ħamrun played the more cohesive football early on as the interchanging of their forwards, Dylan Kokavessis, Spiteri and Micallef, unsettled the Floriana defence.

From a Kokavessis cross, Micallef headed goalwards but his effort was turned away for a corner by Maksic.

The Spartans fans in the Millennium Stand shouted 'penalty' when Ryan Fenech appeared to have been thrown off balance by Steve Bonnici as the Ħamrun midfielder darted into the penalty area from the right. Referee Anton Zammit saw nothing untoward.

Floriana had to wait until midway through the first half to manufacture their first scoring chance and they came agonisingly close to forging ahead.

Latching on to Clyde Camoin's floated pass from a free-kick, Ryan Darmanin created space for a shot in the penalty area but his effort from point blank hit the foot of the post with Ivan Casha beaten.

Two minutes from half-time, D'Amato effected his first substitution, bringing on Diego Armando Cucciardi for Kokavessis who was unwell yesterday.

Six minutes into the second half, Floriana almost grabbed the lead.

The Greens had been awarded a free-kick deep into Ħamrun's half for a foul on the improving Brincat. Pablo Doffo chipped the ball into the area and defender Bonnici looked to have applied the decisive touch from inside the six-yard as Casha leapt forward to prevent the ball crossing the line. The Floriana fans screamed 'goal' but as the flag of assistant Charlie Micallef stayed down, the referee waved play on.

Reprieved, the Spartans were quick to get the ball into the Floriana box as Spiteri released Meilak whose drive from the left of the box brought a routine save from Maksic.

A minute past the hour, the Greens hit the jackpot. Doffo was the provider with another dipping cross from a free-kick and Caruana, evaded Roderick Fenech and directed the ball past Casha.

The Spartans might have got themselves back on level terms when Meilak delivered a fine cross from the left towards Cucciardi but the latter headed over from point blank.

The initial stages of the second period produced more chances than there had been in the entire first half.

Twenty-one minutes into the second period, Micallef served Spiteri, now deployed as the Spartans' attacking spearhead, who turned well in the box before hitting a cross-shot that just eluded Cucciardi.

As the minutes trickled by, D'Amato threw caution to the wind by switching to a three-man defence and pushing more men upfield.

Three minutes from time, Ħamrun's hopes appeared to suffer a deadly blow when Roderick Fenech wrestled Caruana to the ground inside the box and Zammit instantly pointed to the spot. Brincat's central strike from the 11-metre spot was smothered away by Casha and Darmanin's scrambled effort from the rebound was blocked by Mangion.

The Spartans breathed a huge sigh of relief but any hope they had of salvaging a point flew away a minute from time when Spiteri was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Marlon Briffa.

Ħamrun
I. Casha-6, A. Attard-4 ('74 S. Sultana), Rod. Fenech-5, S. Meilak-6, Ryan Fenech-5.5, R. Mangion-5, N. Galea-6, K. Fabri-5 ('56 K. Magro-5.5), G. Spiteri, D. Kokavessis-5.5 ('43 D.A. Cucciardi-5.5), M. Micallef-6.

Floriana
D. Maksic-6, C. Camoin-5, D. Pisani-5 ('61 O. Bugeja-5), S. Bonnici-6, S. Eboh-7, P. Doffo-7, M. Brincat-6.5, L. Agius-5 ('69 M. Briffa-6), C. Caruana-6.5, R. Darmanin-5, O. Anonam-6.5 ('82 J. Borg).

Referee: Anton Zammit.

Missed penalty: Brincat (F) 88.

Yellow cards: Camoin; Roderick Fenech; Spiteri.

Red card: Spiteri (Ħ) 89.

BoV player of the match: Sunday Eboh (Floriana).