Mqabba 1
Birkirkara 4
Paul Fenech and Martin Anastasi scored their first goals of the season to help Birkirkara to a comfortable win over lowly Mqabba as the Stripes climbed to a healthier place in the standings and underlined their challenge for a top-six berth.
Paul Fenech fully deserved the man of the match accolade as he was of constant inspiration to the rest of the side. The hardworking midfielder struck the first goal inside the first quarter and supplied a number of accurate passes that could have easily led Birkirkara to win by a wider margin.
Missing the services of George Mallia and with Michael Galea named as a substitute, the Stripes took the lead which was annulled within three minutes before John Buttigieg's side stepped up a gear to brush aside the opposition.
On 15 minutes, Ciantar delivered a free-kick towards the centre of the Mqabba box and Fenech was at hand to propel a shot at goal. Kris Calleja parried only for the Birkirkara midfielder to shoot again from the rebound and bury the ball inside the net.
If Birkirkara were under the impression that this was going to be an easy ride, they were in for a surprise as Mqabba hit the equaliser soon after.
Omar Borg failed to hold a Perreira cross and Dylan Zarb was within striking range to fire a point blank shot into the net.
Shocked by that setback, Bir-kirkara regrouped and nearly forged ahead again on 25 minutes but a Bajada free-kick dipped dangerously towards goal and shaved the crossbar.
Buttigieg's men regained the lead 10 minutes from the break. Bajada delivered the corner from the right and Mifsud Triganza broke free from the defenders shadowing his moves to head into the net from close range.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Briffa did well to free Perreira with an exquisite touch to the ball that caught the Stripes rearguard on the wrong foot. Having beaten the offside trap, the Brazilian gave chase but keeper Borg was on the alert to clear to safety.
Moments later, Bajada muscled his way through, Calleja dived at his feet and the Birkirkara man tumbled to the ground under the challenge. The referee cautioned Bajada for simulation, much to the disapproval of the Stripes fans who had braved the cold weather.
Four minutes into the re-start, the Stripes established a two-goal lead. Defender Galea miscued his header to pave the way for Anastasi who struck home with a low shot that sailed into the net. It was his first of the campaign and a goal that allowed the Stripes to dictate matters freely given the cushion lead.
Fenech was having a field day with an excellent performance as his constant running often led the Mqabba resistance to wilt. Just before the hour, he latched on to a loose ball in the centre of the pitch and surged on a bursting run before shrugging aside Psaila's challenge and belting a shot that just missed the target.
Birkirkara were seeing more of the ball now and Mqabba had little option but to crowd their defence and try to repel the ball upfield.
Mifsud Triganza thought he had done enough to beat Calleja for a fourth time as he struck the ball from the edge of the penalty area but his shot whizzed past Calleja's upright.
Silva forced Borg to tip a free-kick over the woodwork on 72 minutes as Mqabba created one of their few chances after the interval.
But, inside the last ten minutes Mqabba should have scored another goal as a superb drive by substitute Muscat was saved by Borg and on 81 minutes substitute Mintoff latched on to a Silva cross but miscued his shot.
With Joey Falzon's side finally applying some pressure and forcing Birkirkara to retreat, the match became livelier but it was too late for Mqabba to avoid defeat.
In added time, Birkirkara added gloss to their victory as they were awarded a penalty after Psaila wrestled wrestled Galea to the ground. Psaila was dismissed and Tabone converted the kick to round off a positive night for the Stripes.
Mqabba: K. Calleja-6, M. Bonnici-5, A. Busuttil-5.5, I. Donizete Nougeira-5 ('64 C. Gatt Baldacchino-5), M.A. Psaila-, M. Briffa-6.5 (J. Mintoff), F. Silva-6, M. Perreira-6, E. Borg-5 ('57 J.P. Muscat-5.5), L. Galea-5, D. Zarb-5.5.
Birkirkara: O. Borg-6, R Sammut-6.5 ('83 L. Lombardi), L. Galea-6.5, R. Hartvig-6.5, E. Yanchev-6 ('50 K. Spiteri-6), P. Fenech-8, A. Ciantar-7, M. Anastasi-7, S. Bajada-7, A. Tabone-6.5, J.P. Mifsud Triganza-6.5 ('68 M. Galea-6).
Referee: Alan Mario Sant.
Scorers: Fenech 15, Zarb 18, Mifsud Triganza 35, Anastasi 49, Tabone 90+1 penalty.
Yellow cards: Lee Galea, Zarb, Bajada, Silva, Ciantar.
Red card: Psaila (M) 90.
BoV player of the match: Paul Fenech (Birkirkara).