Qormi 4
Marcelinho 1; Nilsson 9; Grech 45; Bondin 90;
Tarxien Rainbows 0

Qormi needed just 45 minutes to dispose of the tame challenge of Tarxien who only showed signs of life in the second half.

Four goals from four different players ensured Qormi softened the memories of the debacle to Balzan to leapfrog their rivals in the ninth place and leave Tarxien behind them in the play-off position.

Qormi were off to a flying start, Leighton Grech squared to Marcelinho who burst into the box before flicking his shot past Sean Mintoff.

Nine minutes into the game, Alfred Effiong jinked his way into the Tarxien box and looked certain to shoot at goal but showed his altruism by releasing the better-placed Alex Nilsson who lifted the ball into the net from close in.

Qormi’s two-goal buffer gave them the platform to dominate proceedings with Tarxien never allowed a sniff of Matthew Farrugia’s goal in those early stages.

In a bid to turn things around, Tarxien coach Clive Mizzi went back on his decision as he put Firas Aboulezz in Matthew Tabone’s stead.

It wasn’t before nine minutes from the half-time break that the Rainbows finally created a glimmer of a chance. Mouhamed Soly unleashed an angled shot which Farrugia somehow managed to push away.

Just before the interval, Qormi tightened their grip on the match when Grech got his name on the scoresheet after hitting in a low shot past Mintoff following a fine solo run.

At the start of the second half, Farrugia blocked a free-kick by Jose Pereira. With the game as good as over, Qormi eased up and Tarxien made a renewed effort to pep up their challenge.

After 75 minutes, a clever pass by Aboulezz found Edu Vallecillo alone at the far post but he headed against Farrugia’s right post.

Eight minutes from time, Effiong broke Tarxien’s dominance with a mazy run that took him past his direct markers before letting loose a fierce shot that cannoned off the Rainbows’ crossbar.

A few moments later, the Malta striker was lucky to escape without punishment after hitting out at Tarxien striker Vallecillo.

At the death, Jonathan Bondin crowned his fine performance with a goal when his long-range shot was too hot to handle for Tarxien goalkeeper Mintoff who could only get a touch to the ball before it finished inside his net.

Qormi
M. Farrugia-6, Marcelinho-6 (77 R. Micallef), A. Effiong-6.5, C. Gauci-6, Z. Levnaic-7, D. Pisani-6, J. Bondin-7, B. Berntsson-6, G. Villalobos-6, L. Grech-7.5 (81 B. Bondin), A. Nilsson-6 (61 A. Mendoza-6).

Tarxien Rainbows
S. Mintoff-4.5, K. Farrugia-5, M. Caruana-5 (85 S. Sadowski), T. Caruana-6, E. Vallecillo-6, J. Pereira-6, I. Grech-5, M. Tabone-4.5 (23 F. Aboulezz-6), S. Mouhamed-5.5, O. Darlington-4.5, M. Bonaque Acevedo-5.5.

Referee: Mario Apap.

Yellow cards: Muscat, Berntsson.

BOV player of the match: Leighton Grech (Qormi).

Standings

  P W D L F A Pts
Hibs 30 26 4 0 93 20 52
Valletta 31 21 3 7 72 27 44
Birkirkara 31 19 6 6 59 30 42
Balzan 30 15 8 7 55 43 36
Floriana 30 11 10 9 49 47 29
Sliema  31 10 9 12 46 49 26
Mosta 31 9 5 17 35 68 20
Naxxar 30 7 9 14 33 43 19
Qormi 31 6 9 16 35 53 18
Tarxien 31 6 9 16 30 59 17
Pietà H. 31 6 8 17 28 53 16
Żebbuġ  31 5 6 20 36 79 12

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