Melita 3
Pietà Hotspurs 1

Melita beat Pietà Hotspurs 3-1 yesterday to throw the promotion race wide open.

In fact, we now have three teams leading the standings on the same number of points as Melita joined the same Pietà and Rabat at the top with Zejtun close behind.

This was Pietà’s second defeat in a row after their upset to Rabat who have a game in hand.

Julian Galea was the best player for the Amateurs with his neat touches and positional play as the return of Quilin Refalo, who had missed the last three matches, failed to lift the Hotspurs.

Melita shot into the lead after 10 minutes when Luke Micallef reached a Matthew Borg pass before hitting low past Miguel Montfort.

Melita continued to dictate matters and on 28 minutes the score became 2-0 and what a goal it was.

Sierra Camacho’s back-heel pass was picked by Galea whose perfect delivery was planted home by Nicolo Baldacchino.

Pietà tried to regroup and succeeded in halving the deficit on 36 minutes when Larsson Mallia beat Matthew Sapiano from a Juergen Pisani centre.

However, Melita immediately restored their two-goal lead thanks to Baldacchino who beat Montfort a second time.

Edmond Lufi’s Pietà were not finished though. Just before half-time a Pisani effort finished just over the crossbar and a Vinicius Pereira dos Santos free-kick was saved by Sapiano.

The Hotspurs continued to move forward with purpose after the interval and a Larson Mallia header finished just wide.

Dos Santos was foiled by the quick-thinking Sapiano and then Pisani was first to reach an inviting ball by Zach Muscat but the keeper was on the right spot to save.

Pietà laid siege to the Melita rearguard but until the final whistle they were never a threat to Sapiano.

Melita: M. Sapiano, M.R. Sierra Camacho, G. Gribbon, M. Martin (S. Galea), M. Borg (G. Alario), N. Baldacchino (K. Micallef), J. Galea, M. Valenzia, L. Micallef, K. Vella Petroni, J. Vukanic.

Pietà: M. Montfort, C. Spiteri, B. Sciberras, Q. Refalo (K. Cutajar), Z. Muscat, V. Pereira dos Santos, L. Mallia, C. Cassar, J. Zarate, J. Pisani, A. Farrugia (M. Schembri).

Referee: Mario Apap.

Żejtun Corinthians 1
Dingli Swallows 0

A late Kenneth Abela goal moved Żejtun just two points behind the leading trio in the standings.

Both sides had their chances with Leontiev Konda playing a blinder for Dingli but a piece of magic from veteran Abela in the end made all the difference.

Żejtun could have gone ahead as early as the ninth minute but an Abela piledriver rattled the bar.

On 16 minutes it was Żejtun again who came close to scoring as Gers Delia looked to have beaten Jeffrey Farrugia with a fierce shot but the Dingli keeper made a fine reflex save to deny the Corinthians.

Konda had a long-range effort stopped by Ranier Farrugia and soon after Konda was denied by the bar after his shot had taken a def-lection off Charlo Magro’s back.

A minute before the break, Delia turned past his marker like a flash but his shot was stopped by keeper Farrugia.

Żejtun started the second half in attack and on 50 minutes Shawn Magro sped past two defenders in the box but was foiled by Farrugia who intervened right on time to avert danger.

Dingli were unlucky not to forge ahead 18 minutes from time when Konda entered the opponents’ box but his cute lob over the goalkeeper bounced off the crossbar.

Two minutes later it was Konda again who met a measured Chris Azzopardi pass but the Bulgarian was thwarted by Charlo Magro who blocked the Dingli man’s menacing shot.

At the other end, Delia dallied his conclusion from an ideal position but Żejtun scored the goal that mattered on 79 minutes when Abela blasted the ball home from the edge of the area after running clear from Francis Owusu.

Żejtun: R. Farrugia, A. Farrugia, C. Magro, M. Borg, E. Azzopardi, K. Vassallo, N. Filipov (K. Gantchev), S. Magro (J. Abela), W. Elzaredi, G. Delia (L. Micallef), K. Abela.

Dingli: J. Farrugia, F. Owusu, A. Portelli, P. Ciantar, L. Konda, K. Formosa, J. Pace (R. Micallef), E. Farrugia, C. Porcari, R. Briffa, C. Azzopardi.

Referee: Paul Caruana.