Pietà Hotspurs maintain perfect record

Pietà Hotspurs 1
Melita 0

Pietà Hotspurs maintained their 100 per cent record after three matches when they edged Melita in a hard-fought encounter at the Centenary Stadium.

For Melita this was their second defeat from three games. At first, the Amateurs played at a par with their opponents. But things went from bad to worse for them when Jovan Vukanic was dismissed and then they conceded a late penalty before goalkeeper Matthew Sapiano also saw red.

Pietà created the first chance on 20 minutes when Quilin Refalo came face to face with Sapiano but the Hotspurs striker lobbed the ball over.

Melita’s best scoring opportunity came on the stroke of half-time when Cornago San Pedro’s low drive was cleared off the line by Clive Spiteri.

Melita received a setback on the hour when defender Vukanic received a second yellow card and was subsequently dismissed.

On 74 minutes George Gribbon’ header from a San Pedro corner was well kept out by Miguel Montfort. A minute later Terrence Agius hit a grounder from the edge of the area with the Melita custodian saving well.

Pietà struck the winner on 83 minutes when Jonathan Bilbao Zarate sprinted well into the Melita area and was floored by Amateurs keeper Sapiano. A penalty was awarded and the Melita goalkeeper was sent off.

Refalo stepped up for the penalty and blasted the ball past Melita substitute goalkeeper Andrew Abela.

Pietà : M. Montfort; S. Micallef (A. Farrugia), C. Spiteri, E. Ciaccaglia, Q. Refalo, T. Agius, Z. Muscat, L. Mallia, C. Cassar, J. Bilbao Zarate, D. Mifsud.

Melita: M. Sapiano; J. Vukanic, M.R. Sierra Camacho, G. Gribbon, M. Borg, L. Sammut (K. Vella Petroni), J. Galea, E. Cornago San Pedro (A. Abela), L. Micallef, M. Galea, A. Caruana Scicluna (T. Terpougoff).

Referee: Malcolm Spiteri.

Man of the match: Jonathan Bilbao Zarate (Pietà H.).

Dingli Swallows 0
Żejtun Corinthians 2

A strong second half performance enabled Żejtun Corinthians to see off Dingli by two clear goals.

Coach Joey Falzon’s half-time team-talk seems to have reaped the desired dividends as the Corinthians looked a revitalised side after the break with Bulgarian duo Kalin Gantchev and Nikolay Filipov running the show.

The first 45 minutes turned out to be an open encounter as both teams played some attacking football with Dingli showing the better ideas.

It was Borislav Giorev side who came close to opening the scoreline on 16 minutes. Steven Meilak fired a fierce drive from an angle that brought the best out of goalkeper Ranier Farrugia.

Dingli continued to show more guile in their play and on the half hour a Roderick Briffa cross-shot nearly deceived Farrugia who somehow managed to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Żejtun responded in the 37th minute when Ganchev found space inside the box but his shot was too weak to trouble goalkeeper Jeffrey Farrugia.

A minute before the break, veteran striker Kenneth Abela headed just wide a Filipov cross.

Zejtun came out much a better side in the second half and immediately managed to forge ahead in the 50th minute. Filipov found Gers Delia, who looked to be a fractionally offside, and his fierce drive hit the bar and from the rebound Abela headed the ball home.

Dingli’s reaction was weak and it was Żejtun who increased their lead on 70 minutes when the impressive Delia dribbled past three defenders before he was brought down just outside the area. From the resulting free-kick Edward Azzopardi curled the ball into the net.

Five minutes later, Żejtun could have scored a third when Gantchev’s free-kick was deflected by defender Reuben Vella, the ball fell kindly to Abela who saw his header somehow kept out by Farrugia.

Minutes later Farrugia was again the protagonist as he thwarted Filipov who was clean through on goal.

Dingli : J. Farrugia; F. Owusu (P. Ciantar), K. Pace, L. Konda, M. Brincat (C. Azzopardi), W. Chircop, K. Formosa, E. Farrugia, S. Meilak, R. Vella, R. Briffa.

Żejtun : R. Farrugia; K. Vassallo (A. Farrugia), M. Borg, J. Cachia, E. Azzopardi, J. Abela (V. Camilleri), C. Magro, N. Filipov, K. Ganchev (R. Cachia), G. Delia, K. Abela.

Referee: Philip Farrugia

Man of the Match: Gers Delia (Żejtun Corinthians).