Valletta 0
Sliema Wanderers 0

News that Valletta are in talks to forge close connections with Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem must have served to lift the spirits within the City clan ahead of their second-round match against Sliema Wanderers yesterday.

A delegation from Vitesse must have taken note of the size of the task needed to wrest the initiative from champions Birkirkara after watching Valletta fail to break down Sliema Wanderers.

The inevitable result to a match that only offered some excitement in the latter stages was a goalless stalemate.

Valletta looked generally devoid of punch in attack, depending heavily on Denni. Their greater volume of play was countered by Sliema’s defensive prowess, especially after the change of ends. However, the Citizens’ play was slow and rather predictable and it was only towards the end that there were some ripples that had a confident Henry Bonello saving his lines.

The game was preceded by a poignant moment as Valletta captain Ryan Fenech and goalkeeper Yenz Cini made their way into the section occupied by Valletta fans and placed flowers in memory of Clive Brincat ‘Il-Ġojja’, an avid City supporter who died last week in a traffic accident.

This gesture was greeted with a deafening applause with Sliema and Birkirkara fans also paying tribute to Brincat by presenting flowers to the City supporters.

Valletta coach Mark Miller sprung a surprise in his starting line-up as he dropped Cini in favour of Italian goalkeeper Pietro Marino who was making his first start since the 1-0 defeat to Birkirkara on September 29.

Changes were not only limited to goal as Steve Borg, back after serving a one-match ban, and Jonathan Caruana, who recovered from injury, alleviated Miller’s defensive worries with Luke Dimech ruled out with a knee problem and Oscar Reyes Sanchez out of the squad.

His decision to include Fenech, also returning from suspension, at the expense of striker Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza prompted the Englishman to tweak his tactical strategy as he went for 4-2-3-1.

Denni was the attacking fulcrum with Abdelkarim Nafti and Fenech picking up the two wide midfield positions.

Sliema’s line-up showed only one change from the disappointing 1-1 draw against Mosta with new recruit Admir Vladavic, a Bosnia international, starting ahead of Ivan Woods. Vladavic was deployed behind Stanley Ohawuchi, Sliema’s lone striker, Paltemio Barbetti and Mark Scerri were assigned screening duties in front of the back four and Matias Muchardi and Trevor Cilia were on the wings.

Alfonso Greco’s cautious approach encouraged Valletta to take the initiative in the opening period. Fenech tested waters with a low drive that finished just off the target after 22 minutes.

But, three minutes later, Jason Lee Vandelannoite broke down a potentially dangerous Sliema move when blocking Ohawuchi’s effort from close range.

Shy of the half-hour mark, Valletta were awarded a corner and Nafti’s inswinger eluded the Sliema defence but Bonello palmed the ball away.

Cohesion was still missing from Valletta’s play as the Lilywhites remained rather disjointed in their attempts to open up the Sliema defence.

Just before half-time, Hamza Barry embarked on one of his trademark runs, gliding past Barbetti and Scerri as he raced into the box but his shot was well saved by Bonello.

At half-time, Miller tried to inject some flair and power into his attack by bringing on Aziz Corr Nyang for Vandelannoite and dropping Briffa into the back four but allowing the Malta midfielder to push extremely high up the pitch in a re-designed 3-4-3. But his team remained too predictable and their attempts were easily repelled by Sliema who were dangerous on the counter.

Pouncing on a short clearance by the Valletta defence, after 55 minutes, Vladavic mustered a volley from outside the penalty area which sailed into Marino’s hands. The Bosnian remained Sliema’s most dangerous man.

After 67 minutes, Vladavic darted into the box only to see Marino going down to his right to block his effort.

The sight of Mifsud Triganza warming up helped to raise the spirits after some boos were heard from the increasingly restless Valletta fans.

When Mifsud Triganza took the field, at the expense of Nafti, he went to position himself as the central pivot of a three-pronged attack with Denni moving to the right.

As Valletta committed more men forward in search of a goal, they were finding more space in their opponents’ half.

Twelve minutes from time, Fenech got on the end of Nyang’s cross and headed the ball into the path of Denni who flashed in with a flying header that was just off the target.

This was the cue for Miller to throw caution to the wind, adding a fourth striker with the introduction of Ian Zammit.

Valletta pressed forward, pinning Sliema in their half.

With Sliema creating a wall in front of Bonello, Shawn Bajada increased his incursions down the left.

Eight minutes from time, the Sliema goalkeeper kept his team above water when pulling off a fine save from Bajada’s effort.

Three minutes later, Bonello denied Zammit.

Wary of Valletta’s inclination to attack down the flanks, Greco brought on fresh legs as he sent on Jacob Borg and Abubakar Bello-Osagie.

Sliema held on for a laboured but deserved point.

Valletta
P. Marino-6.5, S. Borg-5, J. Caruana-5, E. Agius-5, R. Fenech-6, R. Briffa-5.5, H. Barry-6 (79 I. Zammit), S. Bajada-6, Denni-6.5, J. Vandelannoite-5 (46 A.C. Nyang-5), A. Nafti-5 (71 J.P. Mifsud Triganza-5).

Sliema Wanderers
H. Bonello-7, A. Muscat-5, J. Mintoff-6.5, M. Scerri-5, A. Vladavic-6.5, S. Ohawuchi-5, C. Gatt Baldacchino-6, T. Cilia-5 (87 J. Borg), M. Muchardi-6 (87 A. Bello-Osagie), P. Barbetti-5, S. Bianciardi-5.

Referee: Clayton Pisani.

Yellow cards: Briffa; Scerri; Bianciardi; Barry; Fenech; Barbetti.

BOV player of the match: Admir Vladavic (Sliema Wanderers).