Gudja United 4
Mqabba 1

Gudja United completed the double over relegated side Mqabba who slipped to their 15th league defeat of the season.

Leslie Burke’s team bounced back after their 6-0 drubbing to Birżebbuġa in their previous match.

Gudja started on the attack, winning a penalty after only three minutes when Daniel Bonnici pulled George Chircop in the box.

Captain Kiril Aleksandrov hit home from the 11-metre mark.

Four minutes later, Elton Bugeja headed home from Karl Azzopardi’s cross. Brandon Debono, yesterday replacing Kris Calleja in Mqabba’s goal, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.

On 21 minutes, Aleksandrov tried his luck from just outside the area with the ball missing the target by a whisker.

On the half-hour, Chircop darted into the box from the left but his drive was saved by Debono.

Five minutes before the break, Mqabba pulled one back.

Josef Tonna guided a short backpass towards goalkeeper Kurt Baldacchino whose half-clearance dropped to Claudio Calleja. The Mqabba midfielder lobbed the ball into the net from the edge of the box.

On resumption, Mqabba showed the better ideas and a David Azzopardi grounder on 54 minutes was wide.

On 64 minutes, Gudja’s Peter Paul Sammut, who had been on the pitch for seven minutes, was unlucky when he controlled well but his low drive hit a post.

Gudja regained their two-goal lead on 68 minutes when Aleksandrov nodded the ball down towards Azzopardi whose close-range drive hit the post before going in.

Three minutes later, Gudja goalkeeper Baldacchino pulled off a fine save as he tipped away for a corner Ryan Vella’s well-hit drive from just outside the penalty area.

Baldacchino effected another smart save to deny Vella again after good work by John Paul Muscat.

Aleksandrov added a fourth for Gudja in stoppage time when he headed home a Cleaven Portelli cross.

Gudja: K. Baldacchino, D. Cachia, E. Vella, J. Tonna, A. Abela, E. Bugeja, N. Alnoudji, G. Chircop (P.P. Sammut), K. Azzopardi (C. Portelli), K. Aleksandrov, C. Anton (J.L. Atangana Ekobo).

Mqabba: B. Debono, C. Micallef, O. Farrugia, A. Scicluna, D. Bonnici, M. Bonnici, A. Caligari, C. Calleja (A. Abdilla), J.P. Muscat, D. Azzopardi (K. Falzon), J. Okonkwo (R. Vella).

Referee: Jude Amin Utulu.

Man of the match: Kiril Aleksandrov (Gudja).