Setting the pace from day one, Valletta have been a cut above the rest as their outstanding record of 27 matches without defeat amply illustrates. Their triumph has been built on a watertight defence and the flair and technical brilliance of their midfield and forward personnel. Yet, Valletta also drew on their renowned resilience to eke out important results in difficult circumstances. Kevin Azzopardi traces seven key matches in Valletta’s title march

October 23, 2010
Valletta 5
Tarxien Rainbows 2

The pressure was on Valletta to take three points from this game after they surrendered a strong position in a 2-2 draw with defending champions and rivals Birkirkara in their previous outing.

Fears of another partial slip-up by the favourites resurfaced after Tarxien twice cancelled out goals by Terrence Scerri. With 20 minutes left, the score was 2-2 but the Citizens showed character as they produced a three-goal blitz in the final 20 minutes to emerge 5-2 winners.

Goals from Kevin Sammut and Jamie Pace drew the sting out of Tarxien’s challenge before Scerri completed his hat-trick in the dying stages as Valletta gained their third win in their opening five matches.

November 27, 2010
Valletta 0
Floriana 0

On a roll after winning four matches in a row, Valletta were regarded as favourites to see off rivals Floriana in the first derby of the season.

Valletta started confidently but their optimism receded when, three minutes past the half-hour, defender Ramon was sent off after receiving two yellow cards for fouls on the lively Ivan Woods.

Ramon’s dismissal disrupted Valletta’s momentum in this high-pressure game but Jesmond Zerafa’s team re-organised their ranks and easily weathered Floriana’s tame pressure.

Not only that but the gritty Citizens fashioned the better scoring chances.

Although Valletta had failed to extend their winning run, their fighting spirit and tactical discipline earned them a point from a difficult match and, more importantly, avoided a defeat that could have jolted their confidence as well as that of their supporters, given the intense rivalry with Floriana.

January 8, 2011
Valletta 3
Birkirkara 1

Despite their tentative start to the season, Birkirkara were still considered as the biggest threat to Valletta’s title bid. The second-round meeting with the leaders was a must-win match for the Stripes as they had already fallen 10 points behind their rivals.

In this context, this fixture was seen as a massive test for Valletta, also in light of their failure to beat Birkirkara in the first round.

The pressure on Valletta rose by a few notches after Michael Galea edged Birkirkara ahead two minutes into the second half.

Valletta were not found wanting though and two quickfire goals from man-of-the-match Denni turned the tide in their favour.

Terrence Scerri converted a last-minute penalty to seal Valletta’s win and deliver a blow to Birkirkara’s chances of retaining the title.

January 22, 2011
Valletta 0
Marsaxlokk 0

A goalless stalemate was not the result Valletta had craved for before their second-round clash with Marsaxlokk but in the end, they were relieved to get away with a point.

Looking back on Valletta’s 27-match unbeaten sequence, this was the only game the champions had been on the brink of losing.

Having struggled for pace and fluidity in a low-key first half, Valletta were slightly the better side after the change of ends but Mar-saxlokk stood their ground.

They also threatened to sneak a winner in stoppage time when Ryan Darmanin, who had replaced Alfred Effiong, pounced on Steve Borg’s wayward throw-in and advanced unchallenged. The on-loan Floriana forward looked odds-on to score but his angled strike smacked against the far post.

Valletta were let off the hook, much to the relief of the players and fans.

February 27, 2011
Valletta 1
Marsaxlokk 1

Coming from an unexpected 1-1 draw with Ħamrun Spartans in their opening Championship Pool game, Valletta knew they had to win their game against Marsa-xlokk to avert talk about their showing signs of vulnerability in the title run-in.

As in their previous meeting with southerners, City failed to convert their superior possession into clear openings as their opponents re-fused to give an inch.

When Malcolm Licari gave Marsaxlokk the lead eight minutes from time, it looked as though Valletta were heading for their first loss of the season. The leaders refused to accept defeat though.

Their late charge yielded a late equaliser courtesy of new signing Ryan Fenech who headed in from close range after Terrence Scerri’s shot had come off the post.

Valletta’s bold reaction left no-one in doubt as to their deter-mination and desire to become champions.

March 5, 2011
Birkirkara 0
Valletta 1

The heat was on Valletta after taking just two points from their opening two Championship Pool matches.

This was seen as Birkirkara’s last chance to revive their title challenge as they started the day six points behind the leaders.

Not for the first time this season, Valletta were facing an uphill struggle after midfielder Jamie Pace was given a straight red card for hitting out at Trevor Cilia five minutes from half-time.

Valletta were leading 1-0 at that stage after Andrade had opened the scoring three minutes earlier but their numerical handicap handed the initiative to Birkirkara.

The Stripes saw more of the ball but the Citizens defended stoutly to limit the danger. Birkirkara came close to an equaliser when Ibrahim Babatunde’s close-range effort hit the underside of the bar but Valletta were very effective on the counter.

They squandered a string of chances to wrap up the points but, more significantly, they protected their lead to return to winning ways.

March 13, 2011
Valletta 3
Floriana 0

With Floriana flying high in the league, the derby assumed added significance but Valletta proved unstoppable on the day.

Producing one of their best performances of the season, Valletta took just eight minutes to break the deadlock when Andrade’s angled shot had the better of Lotfi Saidi.

Valletta moved two goals up within a minute of the start of the second half when Denni’s thun-derous drive from close range sent the net bulging.

The Whites looked to be cruising but an injury to captain Gilbert Agius, who was named player of the match, and a red card to Denni threatened to derail Valletta but that failed to materialise.

The game was as good as over when Floriana’s Owen Bugeja was dismissed 13 minutes from time and substitute Ian Zammit added to the Greens’ woes when hitting Valletta’s third goal late on.

With this win, Valletta opened up a nine-point gap at the top with only six games remaining.

Champions Valletta remained on course to finish the league campaign unbeaten after drawing 1-1 with rivals Floriana on Saturday.

The stalemate meant that the race for second place will be decided in the final-day clash between Floriana and Birkirkara.

Much of the attention last weekend was on the fourth and final league encounter between Valletta and Floriana.

Tyrone Farrugia gave Floriana a flying start when scoring with a bullet header from Christian Cassar’s corner after 20 minutes.

The Greens’ hopes of denting their rivals’ unbeaten record will have risen as Valletta looked disjointed initially but captain Gilbert Agius eased the champions’ nerves with an equaliser 10 minutes from half-time.

On a high after securing a one-year contract extension with Valletta, Agius underlined his enduring value to the team when timing his run into the box to perfection before directing a downward header past Floriana goalkeeper Matthew Towns from Roderick Briffa’s cross.

The second half produced a spate of scoring chances but no goals with both teams looking happy with the outcome.

For Floriana, a draw with their rivals and the unbeaten cham-pions was a morale-booster ahead of Friday’s match against the third-placed Birkirkara who are now two points behind the Greens after their 2-0 win over Marsaxlokk.

Two goals inside the opening 13 minutes made Birkirkara’s task of overcoming the dispirited Blues a lot easier.

Argentine winger Emiliano Lattes fired Birkirkara ahead after six minutes and captain Michael Galea doubled their lead seven minutes later.

As Birkirkara can’t finish lower than third, they have virtually secured a berth in the Europa League, regardless of who wins the FA Trophy. This is so because Tarxien, who face Valletta in the Trophy semi-finals, are unlikely to obtain a UEFA licence.

On Friday, Ħamrun Spartans came back from two goals down to gain a point in a 3-3 draw with Tarxien.

Brazilians Daniel Mariano Bueno and Sergio were on target in the opening 27 minutes to give Tarxien a 2-0 half-time lead but the Spartans responded with two goals of their own in the space of eight second-half minutes thanks to Rupert Mangion and Peter Chizoba Anizoba.

Ricardo looked to have secured the three points for Tarxien 12 minutes from time but striker Gaetan Spiteri scored from close range to salvage the Spartans’ pride.

Premier League statistics

Scorers, red cards

Birkirkara: Lattes 9, Galea 9 (1 pen); Fenech 5; Cilia 4; Vella 3, Babatunde 3, Kumbrevicius 3; Tabone 2 (1 pen); Vuka-nac, Borg, Agius, Scicluna.
Red card: Agius (vs Floriana), Fenech (vs Ħamrun Spartans).
Floriana: Nwoke 13; Woods 9 (4 pen); Draganov 4, Farrugia 4; Caruana 3; Mecerod 2, Cassar 2; Dzhorov, Darmanin, Agius, Said, Micallef, Doffo.
Red cards: Farrugia (vs Tarxien), Paris (vs Sliema), Bugeja (vs Valletta), Doffo (vs Tarxien).
Ħamrun Spartans: Spiteri 12; Shields 6 (1 pen); Grima 5, Pereira 5; Falzon 3, Anizoba 3; Fenech 2 (1 pen), Mangion 2; Kokavessis, Agius, Chipev.
Red cards: Hrubsa (vs Floriana, vs Valletta), Bonnici (vs Floriana), Ryan Fenech (vs Floriana), Chipev (vs Floriana).
Hibernians: McManus 7 (1 pen.); Cohen 6 (1 pen), Herrera 6; Pisani 2, Pulis 2, Kristensen 2, Caruana 2; Clarke, Farrugia, Pearson, Fairbairn, Hart, Taki (pen). Own goal: Micallef (vs Vittoriosa).
Red cards: Pulis (vs Ħamrun); Fairbairn (vs Vittoriosa).
Marsaxlokk: Effiong 14; Alcorse 5 (1 pen); Guerreiro 4 (1 pen.), Darmanin 4; Templeman 3; Licari 2, Raimy 2, Sciberras 2; Kokavessis, Deanov.
Own goal: Decesare (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Alcorse (vs Valletta), Mamo (vs Floriana), Galabov (vs Vittoriosa), Raimy (vs Valletta).
Qormi: Mifsud 7; Josue 6 (4 pens), Frendo 6; Mallia 3, Bello Osagie 3, J. Farrugia 3 (1 pen); Borg Olivier 2; Bjedov, Chetcuti, Camilleri, Bondin, Karamo-nolis, Vandelannoite.
Own goal: Gauci (vs Hibernians).
Red cards: Bondin (vs Ħamrun), Hojung (vs Vittoriosa Stars), Bartolo (vs Floriana), M. Farrugia (vs Marsaxlokk).
Sliema Wanderers: Mifsud Triganza 13; Lima 8 (2 pens), Obiefule 8 (1 pen); Lachkhem 3, Barbara 2, Scerri 2; Ciantar.
Red cards: Mintoff (vs Birkirkara), B. Muscat (vs Vittoriosa), Lima (vs Valletta), Bajada (vs Vittoriosa).
Tarxien Rainbows: Bueno 10, Sergio 10 (2 pen); Cristiano 8 (1 pen); Ricardo 7; Caruana, Everton.
Own goals: Pearson (vs Hibernians); Kang (vs Qormi).
Red cards: Bueno (vs Hibernians), Grioli (vs Marsaxlokk).
Valletta: Scerri 15 (4 pens); Denni 11 (1 pen); Sammut 5; E. Agius 4, Briffa 4; Fenech 3, Zammit 3, G. Agius 3; Falzon 2, Pace 2, Andrade 2; Temile, Borg, Caruana.
Red cards: Ramon (vs Floriana), Falzon (vs Ħamrun), Pace (vs Birkirkara), Denni (vs Floriana), Borg (vs Birkirkara).
Vittoriosa Stars: Ewurum 7, Jorge 7; Edison 6 (2 pen); Grech 2; Micallef, Campagnoli. Own goals: Gauci (vs Hibs), Mifsud (vs Sliema).
Red cards: Campagnoli (vs Valletta), Edison (vs Birkirkara, vs Sliema), Mifsud (vs Valletta), Grech (vs Ħamrun).

Next fixtures
Friday (National Stadium)
6 p.m. Marsaxlokk vs Ħamrun
8 p.m. Floriana vs Birkirkara

Saturday (National Stadium)
4 p.m. Valletta vs Tarxien Rainbows

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.