Birkirkara 2
Liliu 61; Eliandro 80;
Mosta 0

This was a bold statement of intent from Birkirkara.

With Mosta still unbeaten and flying high in the table, the Blues were expected to offer a stern challenge to Birkirkara but Enrico Piccioni’s troops were made to look quite ordinary by the fiery Stripes who made a mockery of suggestions that they may struggle to produce a sustained title challenge this season.

Subdued displays in victories against less-quoted opponents such as Pietà Hotspurs, Żebbuġ Rangers, Naxxar Lions and Qormi, coupled with the shock defeat against Balzan, had turned up the heat on Paul Zammit.

But he refused to baulk. Instead, the Stripes coach reinvigorated his pack by giving Brazilian duo Eliandro and Rafael Ledesma another chance to shine while recovering important elements such as Edmond Agius and Edward Herrera.

Zammit was rewarded with a stellar display yesterday. After weathering Mosta’s initial flurry, the well-drilled Birkirkara switched from ‘hold-on’ mode to turn the tables on their opponents.

Ledesma relied on his skills to release Eliandro and Liliu into dangerous positions as Agius, Ryan Scicluna and Paul Fenech ran and harried in midfield.

Birkirkara were buoyed by the return of Agius and Herrera. Zammit made four changes from the victory over Qormi as Eliandro and Ledesma also earned first-team recalls.

The tactical module was a cross between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 with Liliu and Eliandro forming a two-pronged attack and Ledesma operating in the hole.

As was to be expected, Piccioni fielded the same formation that started the 1-0 victory over Balzan.

The tactical strategy was also the same as Piccioni handed the lone striker’s role to Bojan Kaljevic with Daniel Mariano Bueno roaming behind in a 4-4-1-1 approach.

Hardly four minutes from the start of the game had elapsed when a looping free-kick from Ryan Grech unsettled Birkirkara.

Justin Haber, the Birkirkara goalkeeper, came out to block but flapped as he tried to clear the danger. Tyrone Farrugia was on hand to pounce on the drop ball but the defenders cleared.

Signalling their attacking intent from the outset, Mosta continued to dictate matters. A few moments later, Manolito Micallef embarrassed Herrera as the midfielder breezed past the tame challenge of the Malta wing-back as he drifted into the box from the left but this cross was blocked by Haber.

After a shaky start, Birkirkara settled as the game drifted past the 15th minute mark.

Mosta were lucky not to fall behind when a quick Birkirkara move saw Herrera embark on a mazy run on the right flank and his cross-cum-shot from an angled position rattled the crossbar.

Yet the danger for Birkirkara refused to abate as Bueno slipped a through-pass to Kurt Magro but the former Valletta midfielder shot straight into Haber’s hands.

At the other end, after 36 minutes, Liliu’s volley was high after he got on the end of Ledesma’s delivery. Moments later, Magro anticipated Ledesma to deflect the latter’s effort for a corner.

Mosta could have taken the lead soon after the break.

Fenech’s back-pass was misplaced and Micallef nipped in to rob possession before setting up Kaljevic but Haber went down to stop the Montenegrin’s effort.

A sigh of relief came from the Birkirkara players and fans. And moments later, Ledesma’s dipping free-kick sailed towards Scicluna who hit a fierce shot that cannoned off the crossbar as the woodwork again thwarted Birkirkara.

Marcus Bernal, Mosta’s Mexican goalkeeper, needed two touches to tame a free-kick by Ledesma.

And in the 55th minute, Eliandro darted into the box but Bernal went down to his right to deflect his effort with the ball rolling into the path of Ledesma.

Nemanja Milovanovic, reading the Brazilian’s intentions, got behind him to clear off the line.

Birkirkara were not to be denied six minutes later.

Ledesma’s teasing corner from the left arced towards the near post and in the direction of Matheus Bissi who nodded the ball towards Liliu and the Brazilian headed the ball past Bernal.

Another inviting chance fell to Kaljevic soon after Birkirkara’s opener but his effort was blocked by the Birkirkara rearguard.

Birkirkara attacked again when Eliandro beat the offside trap to latch on to man-of-the-match Ledesma’s defence-slitting pass before hitting straight at Bernal.

Eliandro made amends as, with 10 minutes left, he produced a rising shot that sailed past Bernal after receiving from Kurt Zammit, who had replaced Liliu.

Birkirkara
J. Haber-6, M. Bissi-6.5, Liliu-6.5 (72 K. Zammit-6), N. Vukanac-6, Eliandro-6.5 (87 A. Borg), R. Ledesma-8.5 (83 L. Grech), P. Fenech-7, Z. Muscat-6, R. Scicluna-7, E. Herrera-6.5, E. Agius-7.

Mosta
M. Bernal-6.5, T. Farrugia-6, M. Micallef-7, R. Ekani-6 (66 M. Ribeiro-6), A. Borg-6, D. Falzon-5.5 (82 K. Pulo), R. Grech-6.5, K. Magro-6.5, D. Bueno-6, B. Kaljevic-6 (90 J. Brincat), N. Milovanovic-6.5.

Referee: Chris Lautier.

Yellow cards: Bissi; Bueno; Kaljevic; Borg; Ekani; Liliu; Grech; Eliandro.

BOV player of the match: Rafael Ledesma (Birkirkara).

Attendance: 1,056.

Standings

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Hibernians	6	6	0	0	17	4	18
Birkirkara	6	5	0	1	13	4	15
Balzan	6	4	1	1	13	9	13
Mosta	6	4	1	1	6	3	13
Valletta	6	3	1	2	12	3	10
Tarxien R.	6	1	4	1	8	8	7
Floriana	6	1	3	2	8	11	6
Sliema W.	6	1	3	2	5	10	6
Qormi	6	1	1	4	3	10	4
Naxxar L.	6	0	3	3	4	7	3
Żebbuġ R.	6	0	2	4	8	20	2
Pietà H.	6	0	1	5	3	11	1