Birkirkara 0
Valletta 0

After all, the pre-match declarations of Paul Zammit and Andre Paus, the coaches of Birkirkara and Valletta respective, were spot-on.

Both agreed that yesterday’s showdown between the two title candidates was “important but not decisive” and so it proved as a goalless stalemate left things as they were at the top.

Over 5,500 fans headed to the National Stadium to witness the latest episode in what is turning out to be a pulsating title race. A riveting encounter was on the cards but, despite the admirable commitment shown by both teams, the game was short of scoring chances, especially in the second half.

Two points clear at the top, Birkirkara remain in the driving seat as they stayed ahead of the Citizens but this felt like a psychological victory for them.

Needing a win to wrest the initiative from the long-time leaders, Valletta were widely fancied to rise to the challenge as this direct clash gave them the platform to underline their title credentials but they failed to deliver.

For much of the opening half, Valletta were outclassed by a vibrant Birkirkara side who attacked from all angles, flying through the middle and down the wings, in the process laying bare the glaring weaknesses of a City team lacking in cohesion.

It was evident in the opening stages that Paus had indulged in some positional tinkering as Ryan Fenech patrolled the area in front of the left-back and Roderick Briffa advanced to midfield when his team had the ball, leaving three at the back.

But Valletta looked vulnerable and it was only thanks to a couple of interventions from goalkeeper Nukri Revishvili and some desperate defending that they managed to go in for the break on equal terms.

Valletta managed to get their act together in the second half but their attacking threat remained negligible while the Stripes struggled to recapture their first-half fluency.

As referee Alan Mario Sant sounded his final whistle, it was the Birkirkara fans who looked happier with the outcome as they saluted their players.

They had good reason to be optimistic as their team are still two points clear but certainly not home and dry yet as, after this draw, the title race may well go down to the wire, what with the top two teams due to face each other again on the final day of the season.

Third-placed Hibernians are also back in the mix as they are now just five points adrift of the Stripes.

The second half of the opening match between Floriana and Rabat had not even kicked off when the Valletta and Birkirkara fans cram-med in the two main sections of the enclosure raised their flags... and the volume.

There is clearly no love lost between these two rivals as the customary goading echoed across the National Stadium, the boisterous atmosphere also providing a timely reminder that Maltese football can also capture the enthusiasm of the fans as well as the neutrals.

Pre-match indications that Frank Temile was in line for a first-team recall proved correct as the Nigerian received Zammit’s nod to start, replacing Ryan Scicluna, suspended.

Temile initially started on the left of Birkirkara’s attack but was soon cutting inside, inviting fouls.

The other two components of Birkirkara’s forward line were Jhonnattann and Shola Shodiya Haruna, the latter deployed at the apex of Zammit’s 3-4-3 formation.

There were two changes in Valletta’s line-up from the 2-0 FA Trophy semi-final win over Gzira as Georgian midfielder Irakli Maisu-radze and Brazilian winger Alan Da Silva Souza were preferred to Hamza Barry and Abdelkarim Nafti.

Barry started on the bench while Nafti was left out of the squad along with the likes of Denni and Aziz Corr Nyang.

Paus kept faith with Spanish defender Oscar Reyes Sanchez at left-back as Shawn Bajada took up a midfield role behind the roaming front duo of Lateef Elford-Alliyu and Da Silva Souza.

In the early minutes, Justin Haber, the Birkirkara goalkeeper, blocked a central shot from Da Silva Souza. On 16 minutes, Haber made himself big as he rose to stop Da Silva’s menacing cross.

Birkirkara soon began to ask questions of the Valletta defence as the industry of their midfielders and mobility of their strikers gave them an early edge.

Jhonnattann’s free-kick, given for a handball by Maisuradze which may have occurred inside the box, landed in the goalmouth, causing apprehension among the City defenders before they managed to clear.

On another occasion, Jhonnattann headed wide. Birkirkara had a legitimate claim for a penalty when Haruna looked to have been shoved by Steve Borg after the latter hesitated, having just retrieved possession before surrendering the ball to the towering Nigerian.

Referee Alan Mario Sant allowed play to continue, much to the dismay of the Birkirkara fans.

Tempers flared in the stands as the Birkirkara supporters shouted abuse at a ball boy, from the Valletta nursery, who appeared to have made a gesture towards the fans behind him. Objects were also thrown on the pitch, infuriating the City fans.

On the field of play, Birkirkara remained on the front foot, surging forward in waves as their constant interchanging and incursions down the wings tormented City.

Three minutes past the half-hour, Revishvili pulled off a fine save to push Haruna’s angled drive around the post. The Nigerian then headed wide from Zach Muscat’s cross.

With Valletta looking out of ideas and struggling to put a series of passes together, it was clear that Paus’s positional tinkering had not left the desired effect. The Dutchman tried to rectify matters, switching Fenech with Bajada.

Paus stuck with the same 11 at the start of the second half but Fenech was now operating on the right wing.

Nine minutes into the second half, Nikola Vukanac glanced his header over the bar from Joseph Zerafa’s cross.

The Valletta coach made a double substitution 12 minutes into the second half, Barry coming on for the subdued Elford-Alliyu and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza taking the place of Fenech.

Haber was called upon to stop Bajada’s low shot, from a free-kick given for Vukanac’s foul on Da Silva.

As the level of intensity dropped, the game became scrappy.

Mifsud Triganza volleyed over from Briffa’s pass and, at the other end, another curling free-kick from Jhonnattann finished over.

Revishvili then warded off another dangerous delivery from Jhonnattann, this time from a left-wing corner.

Nothing of note happened for 20 minutes before Zammit made his first change, Ryan Camenzuli replacing Temile.

Tiredness set in as the second half trickled by. Birkirkara were unable to reproduce their first-half performance but Valletta seemed bereft of flair and confidence despite their improvement.

Deep into stoppage time, Agius did well to nip behind Alejandro Mendoza to reach a pass from Da Silva but the Spanish defender recovered to deflect the Valletta midfielder’s drive away for a corner.

Birkirkara
J. Haber-7, Z. Muscat-6.5, N. Vukanac-6.5, A. Mendoza-7, J. Zerafa-6, G. Sciberras-6, P. Fenech-6, S. Haruna-7.5 (86 Ronaille), E. Herrera-6.5, Jhonnattann-7 (90 K. Zammit), F. Temile-6 (81 R. Camenzuli).

Valletta
N. Revishvili-7, J. Caruana-6, S. Borg-6, E. Agius-6, R. Fenech-6.5 (57 J.P. Mifsud Triganza-6), R. Briffa-6.5, O. Reyes Sanchez-5, L. Elford-Alliyu-4 (57 H. Barry-6), A. Da Silva Souza-7, S. Bajada-6, I. Maisuradze-6.5.

Referee: Alan Mario Sant.

Yellow cards: Da Silva Souza; Herrera; Agius.

BOV player of the match: Shola Haruna (Birkirkara).

Attendance: 5,551.

Coaches’ comments

Andre Paus (Valletta): “A draw is a satisfactory result for us as it keeps us in the hunt for the championship.

“There are only two points between Birkirkara and Valletta so everything can happen with five matches to go.

“Birkirkara enjoyed the lion’s share of possession today. We struggled to keep hold of possession while Birkirkara were more focused and sharp on the ball and put our defence under a lot of pressure.

“This was our fourth game in the space of 12 days but now it’s important that we recover our energies before our next match against Sliema.”

Paul Zammit (Birkirkara): “I am very pleased with my team’s performance today. We took the field with right frame of mind to try and win the match.

“In the first half, we were in total control but then, after the break, both sides took a more cautious approach as the game’s tempo slowed down.

“We have five crucial matches coming up and it is important that we keep our focus levels very high.”

Standings

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Birkirkara	27	21	3	3	61	22	38
Valletta	27	19	5	3	61	19	36
Hibernians	27	18	2	7	67	35	33
Sliema	27	13	9	5	51	32	27
Mosta	27	14	4	9	53	45	27
Balzan	27	8	4	15	30	49	14
Floriana	27	11	5	11	42	43	21
Tarxien	27	8	5	14	39	48	21
Qormi	27	7	4	16	43	54	17
Naxxar Lions	27	8	6	13	34	51	17
Vittoriosa	27	6	5	16	33	60	14
Rabat Ajax	27	1	4	22	19	75	4