Birkirkara seal Champions League qualification

BIRKIRKARA-4, FC SANTA COLOMA-3

Birkirkara sealed their passage to the second qualifying round of the Champions League in style this evening after they beat FC Santa Coloma 4-3 in the second leg of their preliminary round tie.

Three goals to the good after FC Santa Coloma were handed 3-0 forfeit defeat following the cancellation of last week’s first leg due to the poor conditions of the pitch of the Estadi Comunal, Birkirkara reaped the rewards for their attack-minded strategy as they eclipsed their Andorran opponents in a match that produced seven goals.

The Stripes, who won the match 7-3 on aggregate, will meet Slovakia’s MK Zilina in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Birkirkara lay into FC Santa Coloma from the outset. Michael Galea put the hosts ahead when guiding the ball into the net at the far post from Shaun Bajada’s corner.

After Andrew Decesare had a close-range effort blocked by a defender, FC Santa Coloma made it 1-1 on 21 minutes thanks to Leonardo Norberto Urbani who profited from a lapse in concentration in the Birkirkara defence, dribbled past goalkeeper Ezquiel Lovison and planted the ball into the net.

Fears that FC Santa Coloma would derail Birkirkara were dispelled when Galea fired them 2-1 ahead with a perfect lob after he had been put through by the excellent Bajada.

Three minutes later, Trevor Cilia scored Birkirkara’s third after receiving from Thomas Paris but in the final minutes of the first half, FC Santa Coloma reduced the deficit when Manuel Jimenez’s free-kick took a deflection and flashed past the stranded Lovizon.

There was still time for Birkirkara to re-establish their two-goal as on the stroke of half-time, Ricardo Fernandez, FC Santa Coloma’s fiery goalkeeper, spilled Paul Fenech’s shot and Cilia was in the right place to stab the ball home.

After a quiet start to the second half, the game came to life in the final 20 minutes. Birkirkara defender Nikola Vukanac saved his team when blocking a menacing shot by Manel Josep Ayala. Cilia should have put Birkirkara further ahead when he profited from a mistake by FC Santa Coloma goalkeeper Fernandez but the Birkirkara winger fired over.

Lovison, the Birkirkara goalkeeper, pushed away a dangerous free-kick by Jimenez but FC Santa Coloma pulled a goal back five minutes from time thanks to Javier Mariano Urbani who powered the ball home after Lovizon had beaten away Javier Martin’s header.