Two late penalties lift Marsaxlokk

Qormi 1
Effiong 14
Marsaxlokk 3
Cassar 50, Alcorse 80 pen., 90 pen.

Marsaxlokk came from a goal down to take all three points from this clash between two teams striving to move out of the drop zone.

The match turned out to be a hard-fought affair as Marsaxlokk and Qormi lay into one another with the drama reaching a peak late on when no fewer than three penalties were awarded. Julio Alcorse scored twice for Marsaxlokk from the spot but Qormi missed their penalty and the chance to avoid defeat.

Qormi coach Jesmond Zerafa was still without injured captain Joseph Farrugia while Chucks Nwoko and Joseph Chetcuti were suspended. Renie Forace has been sanctioned by the club for disciplinary reasons.

Marsaxlokk welcomed Carlo Mamo and William Camenzuli back but defender Renato Conceicao is still unfit while Brian Said and Steve Wellman were suspended.

The opening exchanges saw both sides trying to gain an edge with Qormi banking on the speed of Alfred Effiong while Kevin Sammut was Marsaxlokk's main attacking threat.

It was Effiong who made the first decisive impact on the game when, after only 14 minutes, he exchanged passes with Ivan Da Silva before firing low past Reuben Debono.

Marsaxlokk's response was instant but Claude Mattocks's shot on goal hit the upright. The woodwork again denied Marsaxlokk from levelling the score on 22 minutes when Mamo's cross found Marcelo Pereira whose header came off the bar. From the rebound, Mattocks's attempt was blocked by the Qormi defence.

Qormi were forced to make their first substitution on 28 minutes when Effiong suffered a leg injury. He was replaced by Matthew Borg.

Ten minutes from the interval, Marsaxlokk missed another good opportunity to equalise when Gareth Sciberras broke through the Qormi defence before serving Sammut whose shot was blotted out. The ball fell to Sciberras who fired high.

It was all Marsaxlokk now but they failed to turn possession into scoring chances.

After the change of ends, Qormi almost doubled their lead but Massimo Grima's piledriver sailed over.

At the other end, Anatole Debono came to Qormi's rescue when stopping Sammut's goalbound header.

However, a minute later the Qormi defence was punished for some sloppy marking when Christian Cassar was given time and space to place the ball into the net.

Two minutes later, Qormi almost restored their lead when Grima's throughball found Da Silva who sped past Clive Brincat and Mamo before chipping the ball over the advancing Debono. However, Camenzuli was on the right spot to clear the ball off the line.

On 62 minutes, Marsaxlokk responded with a Camenzuli free-kick that flashed past the upright.

It was anyone's game now with both sides pressing forward in search of the decisive goal. Thirteen minutes from time, Qormi were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Da Silva's run was halted illegally by Brincat but the referee responded by booking the Qormi player for simulation.

At the other end it was Marsaxlokk who won a penalty when Ramon dos Santos was judged to have handled the ball. Alcorse stepped up for the kick and shot the past Gauci.

When play resumed, Qormi hit back immediately and won a penalty on 83 minutes for a foul by Licari on Adrian Ciantar. Da Silva, however, squandered the opportunity when he fired the ball over.

A third penalty was given in time added on when Marsaxlokk's Pereira was floored in the area by Roderick Sammut. Alcorse again kept control of his nerves to bury the ball past Gauci and secure a vital win for Marsaxlokk.

Curmi quits Msida

Patrick Curmi has resigned as coach of Msida. Curmi confirmed to The Times yesterday that he has informed the committee of his decision to step down but would not comment on reports linking him with a move to Marsaxlokk.

Brian Talbot is Marsaxlokk's head coach at present but the Premier League club are working on a new technical structure and want the Englishman to take up the role of technical director.

Marsaxlokk officials have held discussions with a number of coaches in the past few weeks and Curmi is known to be one of the leading candidates to take over the first team.

Qormi
R. Gauci-6, J. Saliba-5.5, R. Dos Santos-5.5, M. Grima-7, A. Debono-6 ('72 C. Vella), K. Fenech-6.5, A. Effiong-6 ('28 M. Borg-6), R. Sammut-5.5, J. Da Silva-6.5, P. Camilleri-6, A. Ciantar-6.

Marsaxlokk
R. Debono-6, M. Licari-6, C. Mamo-6, G. Sciberras-6.5, K. Sammut-6, J. Alcorse-6.5, W. Camenzuli-6, C. Brincat-5.5, M. Pereira-6 ('90 A. Buttigieg), C. Mattocks-6, C. Cassar-6.5 ('85 M. Barbara).

Referee: Clayton Pisani.

Yellow cards: Effiong; Licari; Borg; Brincat; Grima; Da Silva; Mattocks.

Missed penalty: Da Silva (Q) 83.

BoV player of the match: Christian Cassar (Marsaxlokk).