QORMI 3
Mendoza og 31; Grech 45+, Effiong 89
BIRKIRKARA 1
Fenech 17
Qormi enhanced their reputation as one of the toughest opponents in the U*Bet FA Trophy, having earned three cup final appearance in four seasons to beat Premier league leader Birkirkara 3-1.
Birkirkara who drew first blood after 17 minutes. Latching on to a diagonal pass from Shola Shodiya Haruna, sprinted past Duncan Pisani, before rifling a fierce shot behind Matthew Farrugia.
The Stripes might have applied the coup de grace few moments later when Herrera advanced unimpeded on the left before sending in a cross towards the near post but Shodiya headed with the backtracking Qormi defence unsettled.
Birkirkara had been worth their lead but on the half hour mark, Caruana’s free-kick soared into the centre of the box where Mendoza inadvertently headed the ball past Justin Haber in a bid to anticipate Effiong.
Undeterred, Birkirkara went up at the other end as Haruna embarked on one of his trademark runs, gliding past Emerson Vella, only to see his low drive hitting the base of the post after 37 minutes. Qormi were then dealt another setback when their goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia picked up what looked like a serious injury as he was carried into the waiting ambulance that took him to hospital.
Against all odds, Qormi continued to look dangerous, although Zeman’s troops would not have expected to be handed the lead by their opponents when two minutes into injury time, Haber came out of his area to intercept Effiong’s ball from the half-line, only to miss the ball allowing Grech a clear shot at goal, before he could roll the ball beyond the line.
After the break, Zammit threw on Ryan Camenzuli for Ryan Scicluna and switched to a three-man defence If this move was aimed at boosting Birkirkara’s impetus, this was not forthcoming as the energy levels dropped. Yet, the Stripes tried to muster a reaction and Mendoza headed over from Jhonnattann’s corner.
Past the hour mark, Gabriel and Grech combined to produce an excellent move on the left flank. The Brazilian advanced through the flank before releasing Grech. The nippy midfielder had time to assess his options before sending his drive wide off Haber’s near post.
Seven minutes later, Haruna unleashed a powerful rising shot but the Nigerian was thwarted by the Qormi substitute goalkeeper who dived to tip over what looked like a certain goal.
The game continued to ebb and flow. Quintieri served Effiong on the left flank but the striker curled wide after racing past Haber.
As the minutes ticked away, Birkirkara’s hopes started to fizzle out. Three minutes from time, Camenzuli latching on to Herrera’s corner was denied by Jonathan Bondin who put his body in the way of the midfielder’s shot.
But two minutes later, substitute Ronaille’s shot on the turn looked to have crossed the line when Sultana saved in two attempts but was not given. TV replays showed that the goalkeeper was slightly off his line but still unclear whether the ball entirely crossed the touch line. From the ensuing Sultana’s kick, Effiong drove past Gareth Sciberras and Haber but the backtracking Mendoza managed to intercept his shot at goal but Lucas Cantoro was on the right spot to stab the ball past the Spaniard.