Birkirkara kicked off their 2010-11 Premier League campaign in style on Monday after beating Sliema Wanderers 4-1 to send a stern warning to their rivals of their ambition to retain the championship crown.

The Stripes’ victory was emphatic. However, their joy was marred by a serious injury to goalkeeper Ezequiel Lovizon who required hospital treatment after coming off in the early stages of the match.

The Brazilian was forced to leave the pitch after fracturing his arm in an attempt to block the run of Sliema striker Miguel Ciantar.

Birkirkara feared the worst and scans yesterday confirmed that Lovizon could be facing a long lay-off to recover from surgery on his injured arm.

Paul Zammit, the Birkirkara coach, could not hide his disappointment. Losing the club’s no.1 keeper was a terrible blow, he said.

“We had to deal with all sorts of mishaps lately, episodes that saw the squad hit by absences,” Zammit said.

“This one we never expected, though. Lovizon was very unlucky to get hurt in what was his first real intervention of the match. This summer he had worked really hard to reach the level he wanted and these last few weeks he was starting to show his real form.”

Asked whether Birkirkara were now going to start a new search for another goalkeeper to flank stand-in Manuel Bartolo, Zammit said he was in no position to give a definite reply as yet.

“We have to wait and see how the operation goes, first,” he said.

“Once surgery is completed we will consult the doctor to see the length of Lovizon’s recovery. We’re hoping it’s only a question of a few weeks. In that case, we’ll rely on Manuel Bartolo.

“However, this is an arm injury to a goalkeeper we’re talking about... it could be delicate. So, if it turns out that he will be out for a lengthy period then we have no other option but to seek a replacement.”

Lovizon’s misfortune aside, Zammit had more than one reason to feel confident at the end of Monday’s match as he saw his depleted team, shorn of the suspended Shaun Bajada, Nikola Vukanac, Patrick Borg, Karl Pulo and Paul Fenech, outplay their opponents for long stretches.

“It was a very difficult match for us and I can only commend my players for their fighting spirit,” Zammit told reporters in his aftermatch comments.

“Despite having key players missing, the ones coming in gave a good account of themselves. Inevitably, that makes competition for places even tighter but I think it’s a healthy problem to have. This summer the club did well to increase the squad’s strength in depth and I believe we’re more competitive than last year.

“We had Terence Vella and Simon Zahra making their debuts in the Premier League. I was pleased with their contribution, especially tactically.”

Contrary to Zammit, Sliema coach Mark Marlow was visibly disheartened by his team’s collapse after a bright start on Monday.

“We knew they had some players missing so I warned the players not to go into this match with an air of complacency,” he said.

“We were OK at the start but then gifted two goals to Birkirkara which turned the match in their favour. I think, Sliema improved in the second half but we couldn’t find the goals to re-open the issue.

“It is clear that this team needs time to get going. We have many young players in our squad and they need more experience at this level. We also lost Ivan Woods and Ian Azzopadi this summer and it’s not easy to replace them. Nevertheless I thought we tried to play constructive football but Birkirkara made us pay for our mistakes.

“We don’t want to go a step behind last season when Sliema finished third. Despite the many changes we had in the squad, we are still looking to close the gap with the two strongest teams in the championship, Birkirkara and Valletta.

“We know it’s going to be difficult to reach that goal but first we have to find the adequate players to fill in the void left by Woods and Azzopardi, in particular.”

Birkirkara got their league title defence off to a strong start on Monday when they trounced a hapless Sliema Wanderers team despite playing with a depleted team and losing the services of keeper Ezequiel Lovizon who was stretchered off injured after only eight minutes.

Paul Zammit’s Stripes fell behind to a Jackson Lima Sequiera goal soon after Lovizon’s exit but captain Michael Galea scored twice and newcomer Terence Vella added another for the champions to go in at the break leading 3-1.

The Wanderers tried to up their game after the interval but Birkirkara stood firm and added another goal to their tally when Emiliano Lattes, another new signing, hit home in stoppage time after Sliema had John Mintoff sent off.

Birkirkara’s main challengers for the title, Valletta, were also off to a positive take-off to their league campaign. However, the Citizens were made to work harder than the final 3-0 scoreline might suggest to see off a spirited Vittoriosa side.

Kevin Sammut scored an early goal for Valletta but the league newcomers then closed all avenues to their goal and it was only ten minutes from time, when the Stars were playing with ten men, that City made sure of victory with quick Ian Zammit and Dyson Falzon goals.

Midway through the second half, Vittoriosa’s Carlos Campagnoli became the first red-carded player of the season after a second bookable offence.

The other promoted team, Marsaxlokk, figured slightly better as they drew 0-0 with Tarxien in a drab encounter that produced the only stalemate of the weekend.

Hibs and Ħamrun Spartans also had an auspicious start.

The Paolites had class written all over their 3-1 victory over Floriana with Paul McManus leaving his mark with two well-taken goals and a man-of-the-match display.

Triston Caruana scored Hibs’ third goal before Ryan Darmanin pulled one back for the misfiring Greens very late in the match.

The Spartans had the better of neighbours Qormi, 3-1.

George Mallia marked his debut for Qormi with a goal that cancelled Rupert Mangion’s opener for Ħamrun. However, Marcelo Pereira and Dene Shields both found the back of the Qormi net to secure precious points for Steve D’Amato’s team.

Premier League statistics

Birkirkara: Galea 2 (1 pen), Vella, Lattes.
Floriana: Darmanin.
Ħamrun Spartans: Mangion, Pereira, Shields.
Hibernians: McManus 2; Caruana.
Qormi: Mallia.
Sliema Wanderers: Lima Sequeira. Red card: Mintoff (vs Birkirkara).
Valletta: Sammut, Zammit, Falzon.
Vittoriosa Stars: No scorers. Red card: Campagnoli (vs Valletta).

Next Fixtures (National Stadium)
Friday: 19.30 - Hibs vs Valletta.
Saturday: 17.00 - Vittoriosa Stars vs Qormi; 19.00 - Birkirkara vs Floriana.
Sunday: 17.00 - Ħamrun Spartans vs Tarxien Rainbows; 19.00 - Marsaxlokk vs Sliema.