Tarxien Rainbows 1
Pulo 32;
Sliema Wanderers 1
Frendo 4;
Ravaged by injuries and further weakened by the second-half dismissal of Josef Mifsud, Sliema Wanderers had good cause to curse their ill-luck but they refused to lie down.
The stage looked set for Tarxien Rainbows to seize control of a balanced match in which creative football was in short supply but, without the injured Daniel Mariano Bueno, the relegation strugglers lacked the flair and bite to make their numerical advantage count.
Coming from a 1-1 draw with Mqabba, Tarxien again produced a battling display and their players never stopped running and harrying their opponents but this Rainbows team are desperately short of creativity in midfield.
Danilo Doncic, the Sliema coach, will not have been satisfied with his team’s performance as the Blues were too sloppy but, in the circumstances, the Serbian tactician will have been satisfied with the fighting spirit of his players, especially after they finished with 10 men.
Newcomer Nikola Bogdanovic stood out for Sliema as the Serbian midfielder marked his debut with a disciplined performance that went some way towards helping the Blues salvage a point.
Doncic had four youth players on the substitutes’ bench as injuries deprived him of no fewer than five first-choice players. The sight of Andrew Decesare walking into the VIP area on crutches was indicative of Sliema’s selection problems as the new signing had been expected to make his debut for the Blues yesterday before falling victim to injury during Thursday’s training session.
Steve Bezzina, Ryan Grech, Beppe Muscat and Mark Scerri were also on the casualty list while Bulgarian winger Danail Mitev was serving the second of a two-match ban.
Malta midfielder Ryan Fenech was back in the fray while Trevor Cilia and Bogdanovic were making their first appearance for the Wanderers.
The return of Brazilian Ricardo Costa was a boost for the Rainbows as the Brazilian filled the void left by the absence of the suspended Steve Sadowski. His inclusion was not the only change from the team that started last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Mqabba as Nicky Vella was preferred to David Cassar in goal and Karl Pulo replaced Lee Galea.
Vella endured a torrid start as, barely four minutes into the game, he was beaten by Cleaven Frendo’s long-range free-kick that gave the decimated Blues a much-needed tonic.
The Rainbows produced a spell of sustained pressure around the 15th minute mark. They went close to an equaliser when Pulo’s cross from a corner was met by Ricardo whose far-post header was turned away by Henry Bonello, the Sliema goalkeeper.
Tarxien’s willingness to run and press in pursuit of possession shook Sliema whose passing grew increasingly erratic.
Two minutes past the half-hour, Tarxien’s industry paid off as Josef Mifsud’s mistake was pounced upon by Mayasi who rifled a swerving shot that was repelled by Bonello but the ball rolled towards the pacy Pulo who placed home.
Offering further proof of his improving form, Mayasi cut in from the left and unleashed a rising effort that flew just over the bar.
Sliema had to wait until five minutes from half-time to fashion a chance. Cilia’s initial volley was blocked by Carlo Mamo but the loose ball fell to Frendo whose piledriver was off target.
Vella, the Tarxien goalkeeper, then kept Sliema at bay with a top-drawer save on Rumen Galabov’s dipping shot.
Two minutes into the second half, Ani squandered a good chance to restore Sliema’s lead. Latching onto an intelligent pass from Alex Muscat, Ani was unmarked in the Tarxien box but he miscued his shot.
Sliema looked more enterprising at the start of the second half. Drifting infield to fetch a pass from Galabov, Lattes sped through the middle before firing a strong drive that ended wide.
There was little between the two teams at this stage. On 64 minutes, Pulo’s jinking run caused havoc in the Sliema defence to the point that the back-tracking Galabov almost committed an own goal as he flicked the ball backward.
Hardly a minute later, Tarxien’s optimism rose when Sliema defender Mifsud, who had just been cautioned for a late challenge on Ricardo, was dismissed after getting a second booking for a foul on Mayasi just outside the box. Bogdanovic dropped to centre-half after Mifsud’s exit with Fenech taking over marshalling duties in central midfield.
The force was with Tarxien now. Pulo, one of the Rainbows’ best players, veered to the centre from the left before angling a shot that Bonello did well to turn away for a corner.
Despite their numerical handicap, Sliema defended as a unit to all but nullify their opponents’ attacking threat.
In stoppage time, Sliema nearly snatched a late winner when Lattes broke clear on the counter after Sliema had broke down a Tarxien attack but the Argentine blasted over from inside the penalty box.
Tarxien Rainbows: N. Vella-6, C. Mamo-5.5, M. Caruana-6 (74 M. Tanti) Everton-6, A. Carabott-5, Ricardo-6, J. Mayasi-6.5, K. Pulo-7 (85 W. Zerafa), O. Anonam-6, R. Mintoff-5.5, J. Grioli-6.5.
Sliema Wanderers: H. Bonello-6, A. Muscat-6, N. Bogdanovic-7, J. Mifsud, C. Gatt Baldacchino-6, T. Cilia-6, R. Fenech-6, R. Galabov-5, J. Ani-5 (90 R. Dalli), E. Lattes-6, C. Frendo-6 (85 D. Vukovic).
Referee: Fyodor Zammit.
Yellow cards: Mifsud; Mayasi; Gatt Baldacchino; Anonam; Mintoff.
Red card: Mifsud (S) 65.
BOV player of the match: Karl Pulo (Tarxien).