Valletta 1
Nafti 5;
Sliema Wanderers 1
Woods 58;

Valletta lost further ground on leaders Birkirkara after their winning march was halted by a resilient Sliema Wanderers side who came back from a goal down to share the spoils with their more-quoted opponents.

The pressure was on Valletta to deliver as they needed a victory to stay close to Birkirkara, who had gone four points clear after a 3-1 win over Balzan, but the Citizens lacked cohesion despite a promising opening period in which they missed some inviting opportunities.

Sliema coach Alfonso Greco fielded the same team that started the FA Trophy victory over Pietà Hotspurs. The tactical strategy was the same as the Italian mentor stuck to 4-3-2-1 with Trevor Cilia and Admir Vladavic operating behind Stanley Ohawuchi.

Valletta were buoyed by the return of Tunisian winger Abdelkarim Nafti who replaced Nigeria-born striker Abayomi Owonikoko. Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza was the lone striker with Denni and Nafti on the wings.

Nafti made an immediate impact, scoring with the first move of quality inside the first five minutes. The Tunisian made inroads on the left flank before veering to the centre and unleashing a piledriver that fizzed past Henry Bonello.

Sliema were again caught out at the back after 22 minutes. Ryan Fenech exploited space on the left before flicking the ball forward to Denni whose perfect cross landed invitingly to Mifsud Triganza. The striker looked certain to score but his point-blank header hit the post and the rebound was repelled by Clifford Gatt Baldacchino.

It was mainly one-way traffic in the opening half-hour. Sliema had their first glimpse of goal when Gatt Baldacchino sped through the middle before hitting a low shot that finished just off the base of the far post after 40 minutes.

Greco tried to boost the Blues’ firepower, introducing Ivan Woods for Cilia. Three minutes into the second half, Alex Muscat passed to Admir Vladavic who cut in from the right but his effort sailed over.

Shy of the hour mark, referee Chris Lautier ordered a direct free-kick for Sliema just outside the box, a debatable decision that irked Valletta coach Andre Paus.

From the ensuing free-kick, Vladavic’s effort soared menacingly towards goal but the ball cannoned off the woodwork before Woods slid in to meet the rebound and push it over the line.

Stunned by Woods’s equaliser, Valletta swiftly regained the initiative. They were denied by Bonello on 69 minutes as the goalkeeper pushed away a close-range header from Mifsud Triganza.

From the ensuing corner, Sliema were reprieved by assistant referee Thomas Debono’s raised flag which annulled Denni’s goal for offside after a fine move. That was that as the gallant Wanderers held firm to put a dent in Valletta’s title hopes while boosting their third-place chances after narrowing the gap on Hibs to one point.

Valletta
N. Revishvili-6, J. Caruana-6, S. Borg-5.5, R. Fenech-6.5, J. Mifsud Triganza-6 (81 L. Montebello), R. Briffa-6.5, H. Barry-5 (72 E. Agius), S. Bajada-5.5, Denni-6, I. Maisuradze-6, A. Nafti-6.

Sliema Wanderers
H. Bonello-6.5, A. Muscat-6, J. Mintoff-6, M. Scerri-7, S. Ohawuchi-5.5, C. Gatt Baldacchino-6 (55 K. Farrugia-5), T. Cilia-5 (46 I. Woods-6), P. Barbetti-7, M. Muchardi-7, S. Bianciardi-6, A. Vladavic-7.5.

Referee: Chris Lautier.

Yellow cards: Barbetti; Bajada; Fenech.

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

Attendance: 1,592.

Standings