BIRKIRKARA 1
Bubalovic 82
SLIEMA WANDERERS 2
Farrugia 35, 41
Birkirkara succumbed to a third consecutive defeat (including their elimination from the FA trophy by St. Andrews) when they fell victims to a brave Sliema team who managed to draw on all their fighting spirit and Jean Paul Farrugia’s goal-snatching sense to grab three points.
With new coach Jaros dishing out instruction from the technical area, Birkirkara applied themselves with great commitment and they certainly needed to play like that to stop this Sliema team.
A set-piece on 22 minutes almost gifted Birkirkara an opening. A corner by Brincat was headed by Jovic towards the unmarked Desira Buttigieg at the far post but the latter incredibly hit wide.
Somehow Sliema had contained their opponents in the opening half an hour, during which Birkirkara could not quite translate their more voluminous play into tactical supremacy.
Zammit had been inoperative at that point and remained so for the rest of the half. On the other hand, Sliema’s opening offensive traits had the Birkirkara rearguard at full stretch.
A sweet movement on the half hour mark saw Alex Muscat met Muccardi’s pacey cross before releasing Farrugia with a back heel but the striker shot wide. Farrugia redeemed himself five minutes later, when he met Ryan Spiteri’s cross from the right with a downward header that flashed past Miroslav Kopric.
Birkirkara had no time to pick the loose threads as Kopric’s goal was breached again six minutes later. Farrugia’s opportunism had come in useful as he prodded the ball towards the corner of the net to Kopric’s left after Jovic blocked his first attempt at goal.
Jaros’s thoughts on Birkirkara’s first-half performance were reflected in his bold decision to make a double substitution, bringing on Bajada and Ryan Scicluna for Desira Buttigieg and Brincat respectively.
Yet the pattern did not change much as the second half got underway. The first threat for Birkirkara after the break came on 63 minutes, when Cain Attard was forced to halt Farrugia’s progress towards an open goal, deflecting the striker’s rising shot into a corner.
Birkirkara immediately upped the tempo but had to rely on the dead-ball delivery of Bajada to create chances inside the Sliema box. Bajada swung in a cross from the right which Jovic knock it down across the face of goal. On 75 minutes, the modus operandi was the same as Bajada’s corner soared towards the far side of the Sliema box but Jovic this time was denied by the crossbar.
The Stripes narrowed the deficit, eight minutes from time. Bajada was again the provider as his deft footwork from the right found the Sliema defence in a state of disarray, the rearguard managed to keep out Temile’s first attempt but Christian Bubalovic was on hand to prod the ball past Zammit from point blank.
There was a late scare for Sliema with Zammit beating away Bajada’s inswinger directly from a corner that flew past a sea of players.