MIA Division Two
Vittoriosa Stars 0
Gzira United 0
Leaders Gzira were held to a goalless draw by mid-table side Vittoriosa. It was the latter who dictated the run of play for most of the time even though the Maroons had Kevin Montanaro (ex-Pietà) and Jerryton Agius (ex-Valletta) making their debut.
Vittoriosa were more enterprising up front but the solid Gzira defence never wilted under pressure. Their goalkeeper, Brian Bonello, effected some good saves on Mark Ciantar and Larry Lagana.
Just before the interval, Vittoriosa protested in vain for a penalty after a seemingly handling infringement by a Gzira defender.
Gzira played better after the break and on two occasions efforts by Jeffrey Farrugia and Cedric Sciberras were neutralised by Coreschi. In the 73rd minute the Vittoriosa keeper was alert to hold out a Matthew Cocks drive which seemed destined to hit the back of the net.
Referee: J.R. Attard.
Mellieha 0
Dingli Swallows 1
An early Darren Roe goal was enough for Dingli who downed promotion contenders Mellieha.
This was a severe setback for the northerners who had to play for most of the match with ten players after having Hubert Vella sent off.
Mellieha had a Kevin Gambin free-kick going just wide but on 12 minutes Dingli took the lead when Roe profited from an indecision in the Mellieha defence.
On 16 minutes, Mellieha were unlucky not to double their lead. A low Wayne Borg St John shot hit the base of the upright.
Eight minutes after the restart Mellieha's problems were compounded when they lost defender Vella who was red-carded. However, they still pressed forward in search of an equaliser.
In the closing stages it was Mellieha goalkeeper Vella who saved his team from conceding another goal with a fine save on Michael Cutajar.
Referee: Marco Borg.
Zebbug Rangers 2
Zurrieq 1
Zebbug made it a double over Zurrieq. The Rangers are now closer to the teams in the top half of the standings but not so could be said of the Reds who are hovering just above the drop zone.
Mark Ciantar put Zebbug ahead after 20 minutes. Zurrieq hit back strongly, a Robert Bajada header bouncing off the bar on the half-hour mark. However, it was Zebbug who scored again early in the second half. George Saliba hit home after some indecision in the Zurrieq box.
Victor Fiteni pulled one back for Zurrieq but the Rangers closed all avenues to their goal after that to take three useful points from this match.
Referee: Andre Arciola.
Xghajra Tornadoes 0
Attard 1
This was a hard-earned victory for Attard against lowly Xghajra who are still rock bottom and without a win after 13 matches.
The important goal for Attard came after 18 minutes when Chris Ciappara scored from a Louis Buhagiar free-kick. It was Ciappara's 12th goal of the season.
Xghajra goalie Carter was in a fine mood last weekend to repel the Attard attacks. In the end, Attard had to thank their keeper Spiteri for some timely interventions as Xghajra almost scored a dramatic equaliser through Jovil Abela.
Referee: Paul Caruana.
Gozo FC 4
Zejtun Corinthians 1
Gozo took full advantage from Mellieha's slip-up and Gzira's draw with Vittoriosa to make further inroads in the standings after thumping Zejtun 4-1 on the sister island.
Zejtun had an excellent start and opened the score after two minutes through James Galea. The hosts took some time to settle down and only managed to draw level after 35 minutes when top-scorer Chris Camilleri converted a penalty.
However, just before the break Gozo had Johan Attard sent off for arguing with the referee.
Despite this handicap, Gozo still showed the better ideas after the break, scoring three times through substitute Anthony Portelli and a John Camilleri brace. In between, Chris Camilleri had another penalty saved by Zejtun's Mifsud.
Referee: Kevin Azzopardi.
MIA Division Three
Ghaxaq 0
Kirkop United 4
Kirkop's fifth victory in a row saw them consolidating their position in the top rungs of this category.
Ghaxaq were no match for Kirkop who went in for the break 2-0 in front thanks to goals from Tyron Bonnici and Alistair Camilleri.
Kirkop maintained the rhythm after the changeover and added two further goals to their tally. Substitute Charles Pace made it 3-0 in the 68th minute and Antoine Spiteri increased Kirkop's lead 14 minutes from time.
Referee: Paul Apap.
Gudja United 1
Sirens 1
Gudja seemed heading towards victory but Sirens just managed to avoid defeat, albeit thanks to an own goal by defender Kevin Ellul.
After just ten minutes, Gudja opened the score through Charlò Debattista following good work by Chris Grech. Sirens' keeper Keith Galea was severely tested by Leslie Burke and Stefan Busuttil as the St Paul's Bay team assumed the initiative after the break.
However, Sirens had to wait until the 83rd minute to draw level when Ellul committed an own goal.
Referee: Glen Tonna.
Luqa St Andrews 2
Siggiewi 0
Jason Cassar was the protagonist for Luqa. He scored the two goals which enabled his team to take the three points at stake against Siggiewi who created various scoring chances but failed to find the net.
Siggiewi showed better ideas at first but did not pierce their opponents' defence. Just before the interval, Roderick Farrugia hit the Luqa woodwork from close in.
Luqa were a different lot after the break, scoring twice through Cassar in the 57th and 77th minutes.
Siggiewi were stunned and never in a position to save the match. They will certainly rue the missed chances, particularly in the opening half.
Referee: Edward Spiteri.
Melita 2
Ta' Xbiex 0
Melita are going strong this season and very much the likely candidates to gain automatic promotion. On Sunday, they beat Ta' Xbiex for their fifth successive victory.
The seasiders shared the exchanges for long stretches but Melita took their chances well. They had three penalties in favour, Matthew Borg missing one of them.
The Amateurs had an ideal start and after just five minutes they were awarded the first penalty for a foul on Gregory Degabriele. Borg completed formalities from the spot.
Ta' Xbiex had a strong reaction but found Melita keeper Matthew Sapiano in their way. Melita operated on quick counter-breaks and two minutes after the restart they were awarded a second penalty for a foul on Magri. This time, however, Borg's shot was saved by Attard.
On 64 minutes, the referee ordered another penalty for Melita after an infringement inside the Ta' Xbiex box. Borg kept his cool this time to fire the ball past Attard - 2-0.
Referee: Mariano Debono.