Vittoriosa Stars 0, Sliema Wanderers 1
Sliema Wanderers showed character this evening as they edged Vittoriosa Stars 1-0 despite playing most of the second half with a man less after the dismissal of Beppe Muscat.
A dull match at the Tedesco Stadium saw Vittoriosa share the exchanges with their opponents in the opening half but the Reds lacked the spark to make their numerical supremacy count in the second period. They paid the price when the disciplined Sliema struck the winning goal from a counter-attack on 69 minutes to claim their second victory in four matches.
The two teams had traded scoring chances in the opening five minutes. Vittoriosa were the first to threaten as Pierre Aquilina’s cross from a free-kick soared above the ball-watching Sliema players and into the path of Dino Cachia whose effort was blocked by Beppe Muscat.
Slack defending by Vittoriosa Stars gifted an opening to Sliema as John Mintoff stole possession in the box and tried to pass to Obinna Obiefule. Aquilina was first to the ball but his scrambled clearance fell to Obiefule but the Nigerian’s shot lacked power and precision.
The game descended into a scrappy affair thereafter with the consequence that scoring chances were few and far between. Jackson Lima, Sliema’s Brazilian playmaker, had a speculative drive that Simon Agius, the Vittoriosa goalkeeper, saved with ease. Vittoriosa’s Leighton Grech squeezed a shot towards goal but Sliema goalkeeper Viktor Szentpeteri saved.
On 32 minutes, Obiefule set up Lima but the latter’s grounder rolled wide. Late in the first half, Vittoriosa threatened to forge ahead as Grech fed Ewurum who finished his run into the box with a rising shot that was pushed away by Szentpeteri.
There was nothing of note in the opening 20 minutes of the second half but Sliema suffered an unexpected blow when flank defender Muscat was sent off by referee Mario Apap for the bookable offences. Vittoriosa’s failure to put the 10-man Sliema under pressure cost them as the Blues opened the scoring with 21 minutes left, Obiefule beating Agius with a low shot after a fine move involving Mifsud Triganza and Mintoff.
A goal down and a man up, Vittoriosa struggled to make a reaction but in the final stages, Ewurum twice failed to beat Szentpeteri from an inviting position.
Sliema winger Mintoff was voted BOV player of the match.