FLORIANA 1
GZIRA 0
Floriana skipper Nicolas Chiesa converted an early penalty to help his team grab another valuable three points in their bid to climb up the table.
Floriana controlled proceedings quite comfortably as Branko Nisevic’s side had to forsake their pre-planned tactics prematurely in favour of a more offensive strategy. But with their defenders in superb form, Floriana made it increasingly difficult for Gzira to filter through for an open chance.
Floriana’s enterprise could not be translated into anything tangible in the opening minutes expect for speculative play around the opponents’ penalty area. They went ahead though after 25 minutes when Antonio Neto foolishly scythed down Maurizio Vella in the box to give away a penalty. From the penalty mark, Nicolas Chiesa sent Jurgen Borg the wrong way.
The Greens’ edge in possession kept showing and Amadou Samb showed exquisite skills on the right flank before delivering a fine ball in the box, with Neto blocking desperately on Mario Fontanella.
Play became more lively at this point, as both teams tried to stamp their authority on the field. Six minutes before the break, Rafael Ledesma was on hand to drive a sizzling shot but Justin Haber saved stylishly into a corner kick.
As the two teams were heading out of the dressing rooms after half-time, Giovanni Tedesco, serving the last game of a four-match ban, ordered his team to form a line in front of the Floriana stand from where the Italian mentor was following the match, to listen to his instructions.
In fact, after the change of ends, Floriana infused some more enterprise in their game with Samb directing operations. A through-pass to the onrushing Fontanella was foiled majestically by Souleymane Diamoutene, who cleared the ball off the line.
Running to reach a pass from Ryan Camenzuli, the lively Samb threw his immediate marker off balance with an intelligent dummy before setting up Vella, who fastened onto the through-ball but his drive was pushed onto the post by Borg after 76 minutes.
As the exchanges drew to a close Gzira tried all sorts of permutations to outsmart the opposing defensive lines.