Qormi 5
Bello-Osagie 4p, 90; Jorginho 7, 24, 40;
Marsaxlokk 1
Farrugia 66;

Jorginho scored a first-half hat-trick to lift the pressure from Qormi as they claimed their third win in the Relegation Pool after thumping Marsaxlokk 5-1.

The Brazilian once again proved his worth with a poacher’s hat-trick to give the Qormi fans something to smile about.

Qormi’s first four goals arrived before half-time and, by that point, it was clear this was the kind of mismatch often seen in the Premier League this season when Marsaxlokk have been involved.

After that, the only surprise was that Marsaxlokk somehow managed to limit the damage as Qormi seemed content to administer their advantage.

Marsaxlokk’s poor start was not at odds with a run that has seen them win just once in their last 15 games. The Blues are all but doomed as they trail second-from-bottom Mqabba by 11 points and the latter have a game in hand.

The Blues ran into a Qormi side determined to make up for their 1-0 upset to Marsaxlokk in their last meeting.

Inside the opening three minutes, Marsaxlokk striker Jean Paul Farrugia made the impossible, hitting the ball badly from a good position after Modesto Valeriani showed some deft footwork on the right flank to set him up.

But the way in which Marsaxlokk were two goals behind within seven minutes quickly mapped out a game in which they were clearly inferior to their opponents.

Marsaxlokk coach Anton Cremona effected three changes from the 2-0 loss to Tarxien as he gave Gary Caruana, Darren Attard and Luke Agius the chance to shine.

The game was only four minutes old when Qormi’s Abubakar Bello-Osagie beat Christian Cassar from the penalty spot to put Qormi in front after Clive Brincat hauled the Nigerian winger down inside the box.

Bello-Osagie was drafted back into the starting XI after serving suspension, alongside Qormi skipper Joseph Farrugia who regained his fitness. In their 2-0 defeat to Mosta, Qormi sorely missed the flair and composure of the duo and it showed why against Marsaxlokk.

Qormi’s resurgence continued to gather pace with the electric Bello-Osagie lending a sprinter’s speed and a craftsman’s touch.

In fact, Qormi’s lead doubled after seven minutes when Bello-Osagie’s brilliance zipped open the defence as he sent the ball towards the unmarked Jorginho who fired past Cassar.

The third goal followed quickly. Bello-Osagie surged forward on the left flank as Farrugia ran clear through the middle and his dummy released Jorginho to fire home after 24 minutes.

That strike knocked the wind out of Marsaxlokk as Jorginho completed his hat-trick five minutes from half-time when he stung Cassar’s hands from a direct free-kick that had the better of the Marsaxlokk goalkeeper.

Marsaxlokk were dealt another setback three minutes later when Clive Brincat picked up what looked like a serious injury as he was carried into the waiting ambulance that took him to hospital.

Buoyed by a four-goal salvo in the opening half, Qormi coach Stephen Azzopardi opted for a double substitution, giving homegrown hopes Carmelo Farrugia and George Chircop added experience in the Premier League.

But Farrugia refused to give up even in the face of impossible odds as he pulled one back with 24 minutes left.

The Malta U-21 striker fired a low shot from 20 metres out that gave Qormi goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia no chance.

On the other side, Joseph Chetcuti, spotting Cassar out of goal, tried a delightful lob but the goalkeeper rushed towards the goal-line to block the Qormi winger’s attempt.

In the dying stages, Qormi struck again.

The quick-thinking Jorginho picked out Bello-Osagie who surged into the box, rounded Patrick Borg and ended the move with a precise finish.

Qormi
M. Farrugia-5, R. Sammut-6, K. Scicluna-6, M. Bartolo-5.5, J. Chetcuti-7 A. Bello-Osagie-7, J. Farrugia-6.5 (68 R. Buhagiar-5), Jorginho-7, T. Caruana-6 (46 C. Farrugia-6), V. Kouadio-5 (46 G. Chircop-6), K. Thackray-6.5.

Marsaxlokk
C. Cassar-4, M. Valeriani-6 (71 C. Debattista), S. Borg-4, J. Brincat-4 (43 P. Borg-4), C. Brincat-4, G. Caruana-4, L. Agius-5, J.P. Farrugia-6, T. Templeman-5, A.C. Pedrozo-4.5 (81 D. Grech), D. Attard-5.

Referee: Andrè Arciola.

BOV player of the match: Jorginho (Qormi).

Attendance: 1,052.

Standings