SENGLEA 1
Virano 45
MOSTA 2
Brincat 23
Mansi 86
A late goal from Italian defender Davide Mansi secured Mosta their fourth win of the season after they overcame Senglea Athletic’s challenge 2-1.
This win enabled Johann Scicluna’s team to move further up in the championship with 14 points.
Zac Brincat cancelled out Senglea’s bright start in the 23rd minute when the Mosta player, who was switching attacking positions continuously with Leozinho and Jonas Ekani, connected with a Thomas Veronese’s cross to nail the ball into the net for 1-0.
Senglea restored parity on the brink of half-time with an outrageous long-range shot by Virano which gave Vella no time to move.
With minutes to go, Mosta found a way to snatch the three points. Four minutes from time, Davide Mansi hit a sublime header from a set-piece which surprised the Senglea clan to the celebrations of the Mosta bench.
BOV player of the match Gonzalo Virano (Senglea Athletic).
ST ANDREWS 1
Farrugia 79 pen
LIJA ATHLETIC 1
Kooh Sohna 14
Lija Athletic and St Andrews did little to improve their place in the standings as the two relegation strugglers took a point each after a 1-1 draw at the Centenary Stadium.
Joseph Galea’s Lija were the more enterprising side in the game and deservedly took the lead. But for the umpteenth time, it was Joseph Farrugia who saved St Andrews and denied Lija three crucial points with a late penalty.
Raphael Kooh Sohna gave Lija the lead when he got on the end of Abubaker Bello Osagie’s cross for his third goal of the season, following good build-up play down the left from Predrag Babic.
With just one goal separating the teams, Lija were not comfortable and Galea’s side were relieved to see Aidan Friggieri being denied by a saving challenge from Bonnici, who stopped the Saints midfielder latching onto Davis’s pass after 70 minutes.
St Andrews came even closer seven minutes later as Bonnici athletically blocked Farrugia’s free-kick but Enmy Pena Beltre latched on to the loose ball and fired in a dipping shot that was only stopped by Patrick Borg’s goal-line clearance.
Substitute Tano Azian was again denied by another timely intervention this time from Bello Osagie.
But just as when it looked that Lija would hold on for the win, St Andrews grabbed the equaliser.
Referee Stefan Pace pointed to the spot after substitute Neil Spiteri floored Davis in the box, and Farrugia dispatched the penalty confidently behind Bonnici.