Saints fail to win

Dingli Swallows 0
St Patrick 0

St Patrick are top of the Division One standings, one point ahead of Pietà Hotspurs, but yesterday the Saints again failed to win despite playing for almost 40 minutes with a player more on the field.

This was a match of two halves.

The first was uneventful but things livened up after the break.

However, the performance of the two keepers prevented both sides from opening the score. In the end, referee Chris Lautier finished as the protagonist, sending off four players, two from each side.

The Saints, sporting an all-black outfit, missed the services of Thomas Caruana, suspended, and Gary Inguanez, unfit.

There was little of note in the opening half but Dingli suffered a severe setback on 23 minutes when Uchanna Anywanna was sent off for elbowing.

At the start of the second half, Peter Anizoba had a powerful shot finishing over the Dingli goal and then Matthew Fleri Soler headed over from a free-kick.

But the best chance to open the score came on 54 minutes when Anizoba's inswinger was headed just wide by Ilyad Scicluna from inside the small box.

On 63 minutes, Mark Pullicino was sent off for a foul on Dingli's Roderick Spiteri. A few minutes earlier Pullicino was booked for handball.

Anizoba blasted wide from six metres out following an inviting Clayton Micallef cross from the right and on 77 minutes Dingli's Mark Galea did the same with a lob after beating the Saints' offside trap.

Dingli substitute Chris Ciappara should have done better in front of goal as Kurt Formosa tried his luck from outside the Dingli box but keeper Farrugia was on the right spot to save.

With three minutes to go, David Cassar made a superb save to deny Ciappara but more drama was to follow when Formosa was red-carded on 90 minutes and Dingli's Edwin Casha followed suit for a double booking.

St Patrick
D. Cassar, I. Scicluna (R. Briffa), M. Pullicino, S. Zerafa, M. Fleri Soler, D. Gatt (A. Ellul), K. Formosa, C. Micallef, P. Anizoba, B. Bonnici, B. Muscat.

Dingli Swallows
J. Farrugia, C. Caruana (V. Fiteni), E. Casha, R. Spiteri, C. Muscat, J. Cachia, E. Farrugia (C. Ciappara), G. Failla, R. Mintoff, M. Galea (J. Agius), U. Anywanna.

Referee: Chris Lautier.

Man of the match: Christian Muscat (Dingli Swallows).