Licari gem steadies Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk 2
Licari 67; Sciberras 74;
Birkirkara 0

The announcement that only one team will be demoted from the Premier League at the end of the season will have been welcomed by those sides languishing in the bottom part of the standings but it certainly didn’t diminish their resolve to keep up their Championship Pool challenge.

Without a win in six matches, Marsaxlokk were under mounting pressure to stop the rot, especially after the goalless draw in yesterday’s early kick-off meant that Sliema Wanderers had moved alongside the southerners on the 15-point mark while Qormi also edged closer to the top-six zone.

Their task yesterday looked anything but plainsailing as they ran into a Birkirkara side eager to get back in winning groove after their 3-1 reverse to Valletta last weekend.

Unpleasant memories of their 5-2 humiliation to Marsaxlokk ought to have strengthened Birkirkara’s motivation to get the three points that would have all but sealed their place in the Championship Pool but the champions were a lethargic lot yesterday.

Marsaxlokk were up for the challenge as they stormed into Birkirkara from the outset but they had to wait until midway through the second half to ease their nerves with a goal.

After Birkirkara had briefly sprung to life in the early stages of the second period, Malcolm Licari delivered the tonic Marsaxlokk had long yearned for with a brilliant goal that evoked memories of his prolific days as a striker with Pietà Hotspurs.

A second goal, scored by Gareth Sciberras, all but scuppered Birkirkara’s hopes as Marsaxlokk controlled their opponents’ tame pressure to re-ignite their top-six bid as the Blues have now moved to within one point of the fifth-placed Ħamrun Spartans.

Two of the three changes in Birkirkara’s starting XI were enforced upon coach Paul Zammit by the one-match ban imposed on Paul Fenech and Angus Buhagiar. They were replaced by Alan Tabone and Andrew Decesare while the returning Patrick Borg was preferred to Nikola Vukanac in the heart of Birkirkara’s defence.

Marsaxlokk coach Patrick Curmi awarded a first-team recall to Bulgarian defender Emil Yantchev who filled the void left by the absence of Italian Luca Lodetti.

Alfred Effiong’s reward for scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Hibs was a place in Marsaxlokk’s first XI. Argentina striker Julio Alcorse made way for Effiong while Ryan Darmanin, who has joined Marsaxlokk on loan from Floriana for the remainder of the season, lost his place to midfielder Trevor Templeman.

The game was just two minutes old when Effiong intercepted Rowen Muscat’s short backpass and raced past Borg but the Nigerian’s low strike failed to trouble Michael Fraser in the Birkirkara goal.

Sciberras’s floated pass caught the Birkirkara defence on the wrong foot as Effiong ghosted into the box but his first-time volley lacked the power to unnerve Fraser. The ease with which Marsaxlokk penetrated the Birkirkara defence in the early stages will have worried Zammit.

On 12 minutes, Sciberras cut in from the right before hitting a square pass that rolled past a posse of players and into the path of the unmarked Rumen Galabov but the Bulgarian’s first touch was heavy and his second sent the ball wide of the near post.

Birkirkara were unable to get their passing game off the ground as Marsaxlokk remained the more active side going forward.

A prolonged Marsaxlokk move had the Birkirkara defence in a tangle as Galabov exchanged passes with Templeman before releasing the advancing Licari on the right. The Marsaxlokk flank defender unleashed a diagonal shot that was fisted away by Fraser.

Midway into the opening half, Decesare broke clear on the left and swung in a cross-shot that flew wide of the far post. It was the first time Birkirkara had caused Marsaxlokk a semblance of danger.

Four minutes later, Tabone’s first-time effort from just outside the area took a deflection and rolled wide of the far post.

Galea had the ball in the net but his effort was chalked off as the Birkirkara captain was offside when he received the ball.

Creative football was at a premium in the latter stages of the first half. Thomas Paris rescued Birkirkara from a potentially damaging situation when effecting a sliding tackle to dispossess Effiong.

The two sides were unchanged at the start of the second half. Birkirkara showed more attacking intent after the change of ends. Bajada, who had been subdued in the first half, had a good chance to put Birkirkara ahead but the Malta midfielder miscued his header from Lattes’s perfect cross.

Birkirkara’s improvement owed to better movement on the flanks and in midfield where the likes of Rowen Muscat, Tabone and Decesare upped their work rate.

Galea’s angled drive flew across the face of goal as the Stripes kept their collective foot on the gas pedal.

Marsaxlokk came through their difficult start to the second half as the minutes trickled by.

Spiteri’s raking cross from the left fell to Effiong but the Nigerian took a touch too many and was robbed of the ball by Muscat. Effiong then had a powerful shot blocked by Fraser but Marsaxlokk broke the deadlock on 67 minutes.

Running on to Sciberras’s pass, Licari gave a reminder of his attacking qualities as the Marsaxlokk captain waltzed his way into the box from the inside-right channel, beating a posse of defenders before hitting a low shot past Fraser.

Marsaxlokk may have doubled their lead when Templeman’s cross flew to Effiong but the latter hit wide at the far post.

With the Stripes labouring to stage a reaction, the buoyant Marsaxlokk strengthened their grip on the game. Their supremacy yielded a second goal 16 minutes from time. Effiong embarked on another strong run down the left before delivering a measured cross for Sciberras to head home.

The Stripes looked shell-shocked. Paris tried his luck with a cross-shot from the right but Gauci tipped the ball over the bar.

Despite seeing more of the ball in the closing stages, Birkirkara seldom threatened to unlock the well-drilled Marsaxlokk defence.

In the dying moments, Lattes drifted infield from the right and whipped in a teasing cross that was headed away by Florent Raimy, albeit the ball sailed just over the crossbar.

Marsaxlokk
R. Gauci-7, M. Licari-8 (90 R. Darmanin), C. Brincat-6.5, E. Yantchev-6.5, A. Spiteri-7, F. Raimy-6, G. Sciberras-7 (79 P. Pullicino), R. Galabov-6.5, T. Templeman-6, A. Effiong-7, M. Deanov-6.5 (83 G. Caruana).

Birkirkara
M. Fraser-6.5, T. Paris-6.5, R. Muscat-6, P. Borg-5, J. Zerafa-5, A. Tabone-6 (73 T. Vella), A. Decesare-5 (77 R. Scicluna), S. Bajada-4, K. Pulo-4, M. Galea-5, E. Lattes-6.

Referee: Andrè Arciola.

Yellow cards: Spiteri; Zerafa; Effiong; Pullicino.

BOV player of the match: Malcolm Licari (Marsaxlokk).

Attendance: 1,161.