Lija Athletic 0
Naxxar Lions 1

Lydon Micallef scored a brilliant first-half goal to give Naxxar Lions a 1-0 win over promotion rivals Lija Athletic in a balanced match.

Victory enabled Naxxar to finish the first round of the Division One championship on top of the table with 22 points.

Winston Muscat’s side had the edge in the first half while Lija were the better side after the restart, piling up the pressure on Naxxar.

Maybe a draw would have been a fairer result but Lija, who were again too dependent on Erjon Beu, were unable to penetrate the solid Naxxar defence. It was only in the final stages of the match that Brian Spiteri’s side looked dangerous.

This was Lija’s third defeat of the season while the Lions have only lost once so far.

It was Lija who began to play the better football, pinning the Lions in their own half. After only two minutes, Beppe Antignolo controlled the ball inside the area but his effort was blocked by Julian Azzopardi, the Naxxar goalkeeper.

Lija continued to dictate matters, going close to taking the lead on 12 minutes when, from a corner, Ige Adeshina played a telling pass to Rosalino de Almeida whose attempt was blocked by a defender.

As the first half moved on, Naxxar gained ground and began to torment the Lija rearguard. On 21 minutes, Andrea Rocha da Silva’s header finished just over.

Naxxar forged ahead 10 minutes from half-time when Micallef’s screamer from 30 metres left Luke Bonnici helpless in the Lija goal.

The first half ended 1-0 for Naxxar. Six minutes into the second, Beu advanced on the right flank before going infield but his well-struck shot was saved by Azzopardi.

Lija were now on top. From a short corner, Beu fired over on 68 minutes.

A minute later, the Albanian was high with a dangerous free-kick.

Six minutes from time, Lija substitute Amadeo Mercieca hit a grounder following a melee in the Lions area but Azzopardi produced a fine save.

On the stroke of time, Lija came close again when Beu’s free-kick flashed wide.

Lija Athletic: L. Bonnici, C. Giordimaina, M. Fleri Soler, D. Scerri, E. Beu, E. Briffa (A. Sacco), B. Fenech, A. Scicluna, B. Antignolo (A. Mercieca), A. Ige, R. De Almeida (R. Goncalves).

Naxxar Lions: J. Azzopardi, J. Vella, A. Buhagiar, G. Camilleri (J. Debono), S. Eboh, V. Bellia, P. Doffo, A. Rocha da Silva, L. Micallef, D. Falzon (K. Drago), A. Ewurun.

Referee: A. Arciola.

Man of the match: Pablo Doffo (Naxxar Lions).