Birkirkara 1 Sliema Wanderers 1
High-flying Birkirkara consolidated their third spot but they were held by Sliema Wanderers.
Sliema made four changes to the side that lost 2-0 against leaders Valletta. Three of the four changes in the Wanderers’ line-up were enforced upon Coach Danilo Doncic by the injuries of Trevor Cilia, Rumen Galabov and Cleavon Frendo. Josef Mifsud, Mark Scerri, Andrew Decesare and Danail Mitev were handed first-team roles.
Jeremiah Ani who was deployed at the top of Sliema’s 4-1-4-1-cum-
4-3-3 formation with Emiliano Lattes and Ryan Fenech pushing up the wings when the Blues had possession.
The absence of Shola Haruna out on suspension, induced Birkirkara mentor Paul Zammit to tweak his tactical strategy as he set his team out in a 4-3-2-1 formation as Jeanpierre Mifsud Triganza was the Stripes’ attacking fulcrum with Shawn Bajada and Ryan Scicluna picking up the two wide midfield positions.
Doncic’s tactics paid off immediately as Mifsud who produced a solid performance alongside Nikola Bogdanovic, when he belied his diminutive stature to rise above the Stripes’ towering defence to head home from a corner by Ryan Fenech when the scoreboard showed 10 minutes.
Sliema’s work-rate was causing problems to Stripes’ patient build-up play as the latter were given no time to settle on the ball, but when Birkirkara ran at the Sliema’s defence, it produced better results.
That was proved on the quarter of the hour time when Jorge received the ball at the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under the pressure from Alex Muscat, the Brazilian controlled the ball and went around his marker before placing the ball precisely into the top left-hand corner.
After 37 minutes, Birkirkara suffered an injury setback when Paul Fenech fell badly under the challenge Scerri and was substituted by Rowen Muscat.
One injury setback followed another as Decesare limped out injured just before half-time and was replaced by Steve Bezzina. Another injury to Mitev forced another substitution at half-time. Nikola Bogdanovic reverted to midfield with substitute Clifford Gatt Baldacchino playing at centre-back. The Stripes almost took advantage of the defensive readjustment as Rodrigo Pereira rose to meet Bajada’s corner but the ball went just wide.
Birkirkara went all-out attack and earned a penalty in the 51st minute after Gatt Baldacchino hauled down Mifsud Tirganza in the box. The former Sliema striker took the penalty, but he shot straight down the middle where Henry Bonello was waiting to make the save.
Seemingly cruising, the momentum was with Birkirkara while Doncic cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines. And frustration increased after
75 minutes when Fenech strode forward on the right flank and crossed low for substitute Trevor Cilia who hit the ball badly with an open goal at mercy.
Two minutes later, it was Fenech’s turn to fumble another chance when he somehow failed to convert in front of Reuben Gauci.
Sensing his side’s loss of momentum, Zammit sent on Michael Camilleri for Bajada and the former’s first shot on goal bounced off the underside of the bar in the 80th minute.
With Sliema’s rearguard under pressure, Gatt Baldacchino’s miserable afternoon was compounded just before the final whistle when he received a second yellow card for a foul on Jorge.