Floriana 3
Scozzese 17; Piciollo 31; Chiesa 38;
St Andrew’s 2
Nwoko 76; De Nguidjol 87;
Floriana looked home and dry after surging into a three-goal lead inside the opening 38 minutes but they ended up holding on by the skin of their teeth.
For much of the first half, there was no contest as the Greens were too strong for St Andrew’s but Luis Oliveira’s team grew increasingly sluggish in the second half while the Saints, rejuvenated by the introduction of Matthew Guillaumier and Kyrian Nwoko plus the improved showing of Dale Camilleri, rallied to pull two goals back.
The loss of defender Andrea Scozzese to injury after Oliveira had already effected two substitutions didn’t help Floriana’s cause but they should have been out of sight by then.
Italian striker Matteo Piciollo flanked Mauricio Villa in attack as Oliveira set his team out in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield.
Attard showed his dissatisfaction at his side’s tame display in the 3-0 defeat to Qormi by making a raft of changes. The likes of goalkeeper Diego Rossetto, Guillaumier and Nwoko were demoted to the bench with Kris Calleja, Wade Moodley and Chris De Nguidjol stepping up.
De Nguidjol was the main striker with Jordan Williams and Nicki Vella Petroni on the wings.
St Andrew’s survived an early scare as Emanuel Briffa’s thunderbolt from the distance rattled the crossbar.
Calleja then saved Simeon Ezeadi’s cross-shot but, on 16 minutes, Floriana broke the deadlock.
And what a goal it was as Scozzese unleashed a superb free-kick that soared into the top corner of net.
There was only one team on the pitch in these initial stages as Floriana dictated matters against the inept Saints.
Piciollo’s grounder was deflected onto the side-netting and, from the ensuing corner, taken by Nicolas Chiesa, Scozzese headed wide.
Oliveira’s approach encouraged the two wide midfielders, Steve Pisani and Ezeadi, to push up the wings, thus increasing the pressure on St Andrew’s.
The Greens went 2-0 up just past the half-hour. Retrieving possession on the left, Piciollo cut inside, sweeping past a host of St Andrews’ defenders along the way, before hitting a low shot past Calleja.
The Greens were now toying with their opponents.
Chiesa lofted a precise pass towards Piciollo in the box but the Italian’s drive was blocked by Michael Johnson.
At the other end, De Nguidjol nipped past Steve Bonnici as the latter tried to shepherd the ball for the on-rushing Calleja Cremona but the Italian’s effort was stopped by the Floriana goalkeeper.
The Greens extended their lead thanks to Chiesa whose curling shot from inside the box gave Calleja no chance seven minutes from half-time.
Moments later, the Saints goalkeeper saved Villa’s close-range header.
St Andrew’s were facing a drubbing. They started the second half in livelier fashion as Joseph Farrugia’s inswinging cross from a corner was fisted away by Calleja Cremona.
Johnson then headed over from Williams’s corner as the Saints plucked up courage.
Johnson headed high from Farrugia’s corner but, 14 minutes from time, substitute Kyrian Nwoko beat Calleja Cremona with a powerful header from Williams’s corner.
Villa might have restored Floriana’s two-goal lead as he twisted his way into the box but his grounder was stopped by Calleja.
St Andrew’s were back in the game three minutes from the end when Calleja Cremona tried to dribble De Nguidjol who dispossessed the Floriana goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Tension crept into Floriana’s ranks but they held on.
Floriana
M. Calleja Cremona-5, E. Briffa-7, S. Bonnici-5.5, A. Scozzese-6.5 (72 Juninho), J. Pisani-5.5, Clyde Borg-6 (68 Conor Borg-6), S. Ezeadi-6, S. Pisani-6.5, N. Chiesa-6.5 (62 F. Aboulezz-5), M. Villa-6, M. Piciollo-6.5.
St Andrew’s
K. Calleja-5.5, C. Cumbo-5, W. Moodley-5 (60 K. Nwoko-6.5), M. Johnson-6.5, N. Andreis-5, L. Cosmai-4 (78 L. Grech), N. Vella Petroni-4 (46 M. Guillaumier-6.5), J. Williams-6, D. Camilleri-6.5, J. Farrugia-6, C. De Nguidjol-5.5.
Referee: Adrian Azzopardi.
Yellow cards: Cumbo; Johnson; Conor Borg; De Nguidjol.
BOV player of the match: Matteo Piciollo (Floriana).