Greens hold 10-man City

VALLETTA-0, FLORIANA-0

Floriana halted Valletta’s winning run after holding their rivals to a goalless draw in low-key match at the National Stadium.

Boasting a four-point lead at the top going into the derby, Valletta were regarded as favourites to take the three points but their cause was undermined by the early sending-off of Brazilian defender Ramon.

Yet, despite their numerical superiority, Floriana refused to throw caution to the wind as they seemed happy to settle for a draw.

The first capital derby of the 2010/11 season enticed a sizeable crowd to the National Stadium, especially Valletta fans who not only thronged their section inside the enclosure but also filled half of the Millennium Stand.

A boisterous roar filled the air as the two teams trudged onto the pitch for kick-off. While a cloud of green smoke engulfed the Floriana side, those of Valletta waved thousands of red and white flags.

After just four minutes, Valletta captain Gilbert Agius, who retained his place in the centre of midfield after his positive display in the 4-0 victory of Sliema Wanderers, passed to Denni whose grounder was easily saved by Lofti Saidi, the Floriana goalkeeper.

On eight minutes, Agius sent in a fine cross towards Terrence Scerri who nodded wide of the far post.

Valletta were the more vibrant side in the early stages but Floriana stood firm. There was a notable drop in the rate of scoring chances but Floriana gained a boost on 33 minutes when Valletta’s Brazilian defender Ramon was sent off. Having earned a caution for shoving Ivan Woods, Ramon received his second booking for another foul on the Floriana striker who was running on to Christian Caruana’s gem of a pass from deep.

Jesmond Zerafa, the Valletta coach, quickly modified his team’s tactical approach as Steve Borg was switched to centre-half and Roderick Briffa, who started on the right of midfield, moved to right-back.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, it was Valletta who threatened to go ahead six minutes when Denni released Briffa inside the box but the latter’s belated shot came off the sliding Brian Said.

Valletta had another chance to take the lead but Scerri headed over from Briffa’s right-wing cross.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were marked by a dearth of scoring chances as the two grew somewhat sloppy.

The fear of losing the derby weighed heavily on the minds of the players who struggled for inspiration in a disappointing second half.

It was not before the last minute of regular time that either team created a notable chance. This fell to Valletta as Briffa made a scurrying run on the right before sending in a cross that that was deflected towards Denni whose first-time volley was pushed away by Saidi.

The game ended on a somewhat controversial note as referee Adrian Azzopardi sounded the final whistle as Floriana were preparing to take a corner.

Valletta midfielder Jamie Pace was voted BOV player of the match.