BIRKIRKARA 2

Orlandic 32

Cassar 64og.

TARXIEN RAINBOWS 0

If Birkirkara had an edge over Tarxien Rainbows in terms of quality of their starting XI, this was not manifested in the opening quarter when goal-mouth action was nonexistent.

The two goalkeepers only had one routine cross each to deal with in the first 25 minutes.

The boredom was interrupted just shy the half hour mark when Tarxien goalkeeper Andrea Cassar thwarted Carlos Chavarria when blocking his point-blank drive.

The ensuing corner by Jake Grech was nodded on by Eduardo Ferreira and Petar Orlandic directed his header into the net.

Birkirkara clearly needed to raise their game to go beyond the mediocrity of the first half.

By way of reaction, Grech’s inswinging cross from a corner was fisted away by Cassar.

Another inswinger from Grech seemed to pose no danger to the well-placed Cassar but the goalkeeper fumbled the ball and the alert Chavarria duly capitalised.

However, the Irish referee Jamie Robinson ruled that the ball had only crossed the line before the Brazilian’s touch.