Qormi 1
Zarate 66
Lija Athletic 0
Qormi reached their third FA Trophy final in four years after a hard-fought victory over Division One side Lija Athletic.
Facing a team from a lower division, Qormi were expected to dominate possession and carry the more threat.
Yet, Brian Spiteri’s Lija had an encouraging opening hour of play as they belied the gap between the two sides.
A sound tactical organisation and incisive counter-attacks were the hallmarks of a laboured victory as the speed and astute movement of Alfred Effiong ensured that Qormi would avoid a nervy finale as Lija were reduced to nine men.
Two additional assistant referees were introduced for the first time in domestic competition yesterday as Marco Borg and Trustan Farrugia Cann stood behind the goal-line at either side of the field.
Lija Athletic showed more ambition in a scrappy opening, making a mockery of the gap in divisions between the two sides.
As a spectacle, however, the opening minutes were lacking.
Qormi were playing 4-2-3-1, Leighton Grech and Joseph Chetcuti trying to spread play but they were not aided by Effiong’s lack of movement up front.
Lija were pressing higher up the pitch in a 4-1-4-1 configuration and the midfield congestion suited the Division One side just fine as they tried to hit the deep balls down the flanks for the pacey Erjon Beu and Beppe Antignolo.
After two minutes, Beu outpaced Jonathan Bondin on the flank but his attempt was blocked by Qormi goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia.
The Albanian midfielder offered width and penetration on the left flank and wing-back Andrè Scicluna was always willing to press forward to supplement the attack.
In fact, in the 23rd minute, Scicluna’s forward pass dissected Qormi’s back four, Leontiev Konda simply waited for the ball before shooting high over the bar.
On the half hour mark, Beu really should have broken the deadlock as he judged the flight of the ball perfectly near the halfway line, sweeping a first-time shot beyond Farrugia, the Qormi custodian, but his effort crashed against the bar.
Despite their attacking endeavours, Lija’s defence declined to be pulled out of shape.
Two minutes later, the Lija goalkeeper Luke Bonnici clawed away a close range swerving shot from Leighton Grech that was heading into the top corner, but throughout the opening 45 minutes, there was not really a single moment when Lija looked vulnerable at the back.
The skillful Abdullahi Ige had been posing problems for the Premier League side and so it proved again after 50 minutes.
The Nigerian slalomed his way in from the right flank, beating Edison Bilboa Zarate but his attempted finish flew into the hands of Farrugia.
Patiently, purposefully, the Qormi attack reached the edge of the Lija penalty area after 63 minutes, and it was the weight of Zarate’s delivery from corner that almost inflicted the damage.
Avila Perez headed the ball goalwards and Kris Thackray’s rebound shot came desperately close to crossing the goal-line before being scrambled clear by Daniel Scerri.
Qormi did not have to wait too long to seize the lead when Availa Perez raced into the box but his strike was repelled by the alert Bonnici. Zarate timed his run to perfection, sweeping the rebound behind the Lija goalkeeper.
One-nil down, Lija were not panicking, though, and kept threatening as Beu demonstrated when he drifted a shot over the bar from 22 metres.
Yet, Effiong’s strong run brutally exposed Lija’s defensive weaknesses. The Nigerian striker played with the kind of speed and movement that second-tier opponents, for the most part, are not accustomed to facing.
After 79 minutes, Lija’s hopes to reach the final all but ebbed when Clayton Giordimaina was red-carded for tripping the goalbound Effiong as Qormi broke on the counter.
More misery befell Lija when Matthew Fleri Soler was also given his marching orders for the same reasons as he scythed down the Qormi striker just before entering the box, meaning that the Lija ended the match with nine men.
In stoppage time, substitute Matthew Bartolo hit the bar with virtually his first touch of the ball as the assist came from Matthew Gauci.
Qormi: M. Farrugia, K. Thackray, R. Sammut, A. Effiong (90 M. Bartolo), J. Chetcuti (86 D. Pisani), M. Avila Perez, L. Sciberras, M. Gauci, E. Bilboa Zarate, J. Bondin, L. Grech.
Lija Athletic: L. Bonnici, C. Giordimaina, T. Fleri Soler (75 A. Mercieca), M. Fleri Soler, D. Scerri, E. Beu, L. Konda, E. Briffa (56 R. Severino), A. Scicluna, B. Antignolo, (83 A. Sacco) A. Ige.
Referee: Malcolm Spiteri.
Yellow cards: Briffa, Bondin, Gauci, Thackray.
Red cards: Giordimaina (L) 79; Fleri Soler (L) 90.
Attendance: 1,111.