Monday night at the National Stadium, the atmosphere was boisterous as Valletta and Qormi, the early pace-setters of the Premier League, went head to head.

Qormi's outstanding start to the season enhanced the allure of the occasion as the first duel between the two undefeated teams raised the prospect of a good attendance in light of the growing enthusiasm among their numerous fans.

Pre-match optimism was justified as thousands of fans converged on Ta' Qali to watch this clash.

The first half was a tight affair with the valiant Qormi putting the brakes on the more-quoted Citizens. The balance swayed in the latter's favour when Kevin Sammut's first-time effort ricocheted off Steve Wellman and whizzed past Matthew Farrugia 20 minutes into the second half.

Valletta deserved their lead as they had been the more adventurous side. The three points were safely sewn up when Jamie Pace doubled Valletta's advantage with 11 minutes remaining as the title favourites made a quick return to winning ways after their goalless stalemate against Msida St Joseph.

Ton Caanen, the Valletta coach, was full of praise for his players.

"I think this was one of our best performances this season," Caanen told The Times.

"I was very pleased with the team's organisation. Qormi hardly had an open chance and that is not because they were weak but because our defending was very good.

"Qormi have two strong strikers but our defenders did a great job. In the second half, I urged my players to raise the tempo and stay positive. For me, it was a matter of when not if we were going to score because we were creating chances."

Caanen also praised Qormi.

"Qormi have had a dream start to the season, not losing once in their opening four matches," Caanen said.

"It's difficult for them to maintain this pace but they certainly did their best to get a good result against us."

Valletta's showing on Monday has strengthened Caanen's belief that the team is making fast progress.

"Our performance against Qormi had many positives," Caanen said.

"I've seen a team that is making gradual progress. Valletta are getting better and, most importantly, we are playing more as a unit."

Agius response

Caanen also lauded his international players for showing the right attitude after Malta's qualifier in Portugal.

"This match came only a few days after Malta's game against Portugal," Caanen said. "On Wednesday, some of our players were up against the best midfield in Europe and come Monday, they had to switch their focus back to the Maltese league.

"It was particularly tough for Gilbert Agius who had been dropped from Malta's first team without being given an explanation. Missing out on an important match against Portugal was a blow for him.

"Valletta showed that Gilbert Agius is still alive and he remains a key player for the team. He worked very hard in the match against Qormi. The same goes for Luke Dimech and Geert den Ouden.

"Geert has not had much luck lately. He hit the post with a well-struck header and had that chance gone in, I believe Geert would have gone on to score more because he just needs to regain confidence.

"The fans rightly expect a lot from him, especially after his performances in the Europa League but I know that Geert is a top player."

Valletta's win ensured a tranquil build-up for their first meeting with Hibs on Friday.

"This will be another important game for us," Caanen said of his team's clash with the champions.

"It's too early to look at the table. There are no secrets between the two teams and the form on the day will decide the match."

Quizzed about Jordi Cruyff's exclusion from the squad , Caanen said: "It's important that Jordi plays against Hibs and that's why I rested him. This is one of the main benefits of having a large squad."

Qormi may have lost their unbeaten record but their coach Jesmond Zerafa preferred to look on the bright side of life.

"I have no complaints about our performance," Zerafa said.

"The players gave their 100 per cent. Our foremost objective was to avoid a heavy defeat because Valletta have shown that, on their day, they can be devastating.

"Tactically we were okay. We knew that Valletta would be dangerous on the flanks and we tried to close the gaps as much as we could.

"Valletta deserved to win because they were the better team."

Victories over big guns like Hibs and Sliema had set the bar higher for Qormi ahead of their tiff with Valletta but Zerafa acknowledged that the Citizens are the team to beat.

"We played against the national team," Zerafa remarked.

"The cream of Maltese football is at Valletta. They've got an awesome squad and other teams face a tough task to halt their march.

"Everywhere you look, Valletta have brilliant players but at least, we were not humiliated."

Zerafa is convinced that the experience of playing in a high-pressure match in front of a sizeable crowd was an excellent learning curve for his maturing team.

"After the match, the players said that it felt like they were contesting a Trophy final or a league decider," Zerafa said.

"There was a great atmosphere inside the stadium. If anything, I believe that this match will increase the players' desire to keep up the good work and improve their chances of being involved in more games of this kind.

"I think the happiest people at Ta' Qali were the Qormi fans. They have started to believe more in the team and I want to thank them for their support. I hope they remain behind us."

Qormi captain Joseph Farrugia was stretchered off the field on the hour mark but Zerafa yesterday said the injury doesn't look serious.