Valletta 1
Dimech 2;
Floriana 0

There is not a shadow of doubt that Floriana have improved by leaps and bounds this season but Valletta, in spite of their attacking limitations, are still a formidable force.

That much was in evidence yesterday as the Citizens relied on their defensive acumen and resilience to complete a treble of wins over their rivals after eking out a 1-0 victory in a derby that was overshadowed by a series of heated arguments between players and officials of the two clubs, especially in the first half.

Forced to live in the shadow of their rivals for much of the past decade, Floriana had gone into this clash brimming with optimism as, under coach Giovanni Tedesco, the Greens have climbed up the ladder to the point that they are still in the race for a top-four finish.

Their performance did vindicate Tedesco’s assertion that Floriana have come a long way this season but it was not enough to earn them a win over their sporting foes.

The Greens clearly possessed more firepower than Valletta, what with the creative trio of Matteo Piciollo, Vito Plut and Amadou Samb leading their charge, but what the Citizens lack in attack, they more than make up for in midfield and defence.

Veteran Luke Dimech turned back the clock with a commanding performance in the heart of defence alongside the equally impressive Jonathan Caruana.

Dimech also made an impact up front, scoring what proved to be the winner but the man-of-the-match award rightly went to Steve Borg.

The tigerish defender typified Valletta’s resistance, stopping several Floriana raids and rescuing his team with a vital block on Igor Coronado as Tedesco unleashed all his attacking ammunition late on.

As Floriana shifted through the gears in the closing stages, Valletta threatened to inflict more damage on the counter but they spurned at least two clearcut chances to wrap up the points.

As it turned out, Dimech’s early salvo proved crucial as Valletta reclaimed the initiative from Birkirkara in the battle for second place.

The return of Lateef Elford Alliyu was a tonic for Valletta as the champions have been playing without an out-and-out striker for much of the past month as the English striker was sidelined with injury.

Captain Ryan Fenech was also back for the Citizens, taking up an advanced role in a 4-1-4-1 approach that had Hillary Ikenna performing screening duties in front of the back four and Abdelkarim Nafti and Hamza Barry on the wings.

Injuries to midfielders Clyde Borg and Conor Borg compelled Tedesco to reshape his midfield.

He deployed Gary Muir in front of the rearguard with Brooke Farrugia and Steve Pisani handed the other midfield slots in a 4-3-3 formation.

Valletta were off to a dream start.

The game was less than two minutes old when Nafti dragged in a cross from a free-kick and Dimech swooped at the far post to steer his volley past Matthew Calleja Cremona.

Borg, manning the right flank, was keeping a close eye on Piciollo on the left wing as Floriana toiled to make inroads in attack.

The rivalry between these two clubs threatened to spill over when Tedesco, an animated figure in the technical area, almost came to blows with Nafti after the latter incensed the Floriana coach by kicking the ball away.

As tempers flared, the players were involved in a bout of pushing and shoving while officials from both teams, including Valletta coach Zammit, rushed towards the touchline.

When the tension abated, San Marino referee Luca Barbeno showed a yellow card to Nafti.

Not before long, Barbeno had to deal with another skirmish as Roderick Briffa made a reckless challenge on Samb after the latter’s flailing elbow caught Ian Azzopardi flat in the face.

Azzopardi was taken off on a stretcher, his place taken by Ryan Camilleri. The referee cautioned Pietro Marino after the Valletta goalkeeper had dashed off his line to confront Samb.

All these stoppages inevitably disrupted the rhythm of the game.

Floriana began to pose more problems to the City defence as the likes of Samb and Piciollo were constantly dropping in midfield to support their team’s build-up play.

Six minutes from half-time, Marino saved Pisani’s cross-shot from a free-kick.

From the ensuing action, Valletta had a good scoring chance as Elford Alliyu outmuscled Muir inside the box before cutting the ball back to Nafti but the Tunisian was dispossessed by Emanuel Briffa.

There was an anxious moment for Valletta when Piciollo pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area but his grounder was warded off by the alert Caruana.

Tedesco made his first substitution at half-time, bringing on Sacha Borg for Farrugia, a move that necessitated some positional changes with Marcelina and Briffa moving into midfield and Muir reverting to left-back.

Zammit will not have been pleased with his team’s efforts in the latter part of the opening half as Valletta dropped too deep.

Fenech lit up the proceedings in the second half with a surging run on the right but miscued his cross towards Elford Alliyu. The latter then made way for Llywelyn Cremona.

Piciollo’s cross then soared menacingly towards the six-yard box but Borg leapt into the air to head the ball away for a corner.

After throwing on Giovanni Galea for Briffa, Tedesco played his last card, introducing Coronado for Samb. But it was Valletta who had a gilt-edged chance to extend their lead. Breaking on the counter, Nafti traded passes with Fenech who was through but his low strike was repelled by Calleja Cremona.

Marino also distinguished himself when pawing away Coronado’s angled drive. The game opened up with Nafti showing some deft footwork as he raced forward but his tame chip was stopped by the goalkeeper.

Scoring opportunities were now coming thick and fast.

Marino twice rescued Valletta, first by saving Coronado’s free-kick and then by stopping a shot from Piciollo.

The Greens were pressing hard for an equaliser. A low strike from Piciollo was deflected into the path of Coronado but his effort was blocked by the outstanding Borg.

Three minutes from time, Floriana thought they had levelled when Marcelina’s cross appeared to glance off Galea and into the net but the goal was disallowed after the striker was deemed to have impeded Dimech.

Barbeno’s call annoyed Floriana, particularly Piciollo who was dismissed for passing a derogatory remark towards the referee

In stoppage time, Floriana were awarded a free-kick out on the right after Hamid Alkamali, on for Fenech, floored Coronado. The Brazilian swung his set-piece cross into the box but Mano Micallef’s header was saved by Marino.

Valletta
P. Marino-7.5, J. Caruana-7.5, I. Azzopardi-6 (28 R. Camilleri-6.5), S. Borg-8, R. Fenech-7 (86 H. Alkamali), H. Barry-6, R. Briffa-6, H. Ikenna-6.5, L. Elford Alliyu-6.5 (66 L. Cremona-6), A. Nafti-6.5, L. Dimech-7.5.

Floriana
M. Calleja Cremona-6.5, E. Marcelina-6.5, S. Pisani-6.5, V. Plut-5, M. Piciollo, E. Briffa-6 (60 G. Galea-5.5), A. Samb-6 (72 I. Coronado-6), B. Farrugia-6 (46 S. Borg-6.5), G. Muir-5.5, S. Bonnici-6.5, M. Micallef-5.5.

Referee: Luca Barbeno (San Marino).

Yellow cards: Nafti; Micallef; Marino; Barry; Dimech; Pisani; Ikenna.

Red card: Piciollo (F) 90.

BOV player of the match: Steve Borg (Valletta).

Playing today
Tedesco Stadium: 18.00 Balzan vs Żebbuġ Rangers; 20.15 Naxxar Lions vs Tarxien Rainbows.

Standings

  P W D L F A Pts
Hibs 29 25 4 0 90 19 49
Valletta 29 20 2 7 67 23 40
Birkirkara 29 18 6 5 55 27 39
Balzan 28 13 8 7 46 41 30
Floriana 29 11 10 8 48 44 29
Sliema  29 9 8 12 38 45 22
Mosta 29 9 5 15 33 61 20
Naxxar 28 7 8 13 33 42 18
Qormi 29 5 9 15 30 48 15
Pietà H. 29 5 7 17 25 52 12
Żebbuġ  28 5 6 17 33 69 12
Tarxien 28 4 9 15 27 54 11

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