Gudja United 2
Mqabba 0

Gudja United coach Josef Mansueto is ready to lead Gudja United to a promotion push as the southerners kept up the pace with the Division One pacesetters when they beat Mqabba 2-0 on Wednesday.

Dhonathan Santos Da Hora was the hero for Gudja as the Brazilian netted a first-half brace to lead the team to a comfortable victory over the struggling Division One side. They remain third in the standings on 23 points, seven adrift of leaders Sirens.

“We have just won promotion and our main aim is to consolidate our position in the First Division,” Mansueto told the Times of Malta.

“But we just don’t want to be a second-tier side to make up the numbers. If we come to a point that a promotion place is there for the taking, then why not give it a try. We have more strength in depth now after we signed four new players.

“Against Mqabba we made three substitutions, with the players coming on having little playing time this season. Mqabba are always difficult to play against but today we controlled them well and we deserved to win.”

Gudja took the ground running and surged ahead after 12 minutes when in a swift break Cremona found Diacono who quickly served Santos Da Hora and the Brazilian fired home from close in.

On 23 minutes, Llywelyn Cremona almost added a second but his lob was blocked by Frederick Tabone.

Gudja doubled their lead on 31 when Santos Da Hora’s magnificent half volley gave no chance to the Mqabba goalkeeper.

Mqabba finally threatened early in the second half when Gianfranco Micallef’s shot was blocked by Jonathan Debono.

Debono again foiled his former club 20 minutes from time when he somehow kept out Da Silva Gomes’s header as Gudja held on for the win.

On his part, Mqabba coach Alfred Attard admitted that the club must add more firepower.

“We need two good strikers, there are a must, if not we could also end up fighting for relegation,” Attard said.

“I have a very good side, well disciplined both at the training and on match days, but we need to sort this out. At the moment we have two Brazilian strikers who are training with us, and I believe if we sign them we can make inroads.”

Gudja: J. Debono, J. Bondin, J. Lima, A. Mizzi, S. Diacono (60 F. Aboulezz), M. Attard, J. Farrugia, L. Cremona, E. Vella, D. Santos Da Hora (72 A. Marshall), R. Kooh Sohna (90 L. Martinelli).

Mqabba: F. Tabone, L. Farrugia, R. da Silva Gomes, D. Micallef, G. Micallef, B. Grech (77 L. Meli), W. Borg (83 M. Camilleri), D. Azzopardi, F. Gusman, N. Micallef, L. Suma (64 M.Kayumba).

Referee: Slobodan Petrovic.

Best Player: Dhonatan Santos Da Hora (Gudja).

Marsa 0
Naxxar Lions 3

Marsa: K. Brincat,  S. Vella, J. Lovegrove, A. Agius, L. Friggieri (S. Briffa 83’), S. Ali Abdalla, S. Darmanin (J. Theuma 59’), R. Mifsud, S. Zampa, M.Marra, E. Pajo

Naxxar: O. Borg, P. Changoon, R. Mercieca, M. Fenech (83 G. Grima), M. Mifsud, J. Debono (89 A. Buhagiar), G.Cassar, J. Ellul (78 G. Xuereb), S. Nanapere, B. Essel, S. Meilak

Referee: Daniel Casha.

Scorers: Ellul 27, 64; Mifsud 57.

Best Player: Joel Ellul (Naxxar Lions).

Swieqi United 0
Sirens 5

Swieqi: E. Gatt, M. Attard, K. Muscat, J.Scerri (55 I. Alin Margarit), B. Caruana (60 G. Bugeja), M. Vella, M. Laferla, V. Olowoyo, I. Salis, M. Farrugia, D. Borg

Sirens: M. Montfort, K. Farrugia, R. Mandic (62 R. Previ), D. Sant, R. Grech, L. Mijic (55 M. Bustos), M. del Negro, M. Morgon Filho, C. Gauci, A. Ige, G. Gesualdi

Referee: Sandro Spiteri.

Scorers: Mijic 13; Farrugia 23, Ige 31, 59; Gauci 39.

Best Player: Marco Antonio Morgon Filho (Sirens).

Vittoriosa Stars 2
San Ġwann 2

Vittoriosa: C. Cassar, D. Zampa (31 D. Tabone), I. Abela, J.Ogunnupe, A. Cilia Mumford (75 M.Scicluna), J. Briffa, J. Pace, P. Papadakis, N. Ojoula, L. Casha (D. Pisani 84’), T. Abela Wilson

San Ġwann: M. Mestrovic, J. Azzopardi, R. Xuereb, A. Cachia (86 J. Grech), A. Borg, G. Zammit, C. Cauchi, K. Gatt (86 J.P. Attard), J. Tanti, S. Hili (66 N. Abouhaisa), N. Melo Ferreira.

Referee: Paul Toledo.

Scorers: Hili 22 (SĠ) 22 pen.; Pace (V) 37; Joseph Ogunnupe (V) 79; Gauci (SĠ) 82.

Best Player: Joseph Ogunnupe (Vittoriosa).

Żebbuġ Rangers 1
Pembroke Athleta 1

Żebbuġ: J. Borg, S. Schembri, R. Vella, D. Pace, S. Buhagiar, B. Muscat, C. Brincat, J. Caetano da Silva, J. Farrugia, I. de Rocha Souza, B. Gregori de Souza.

Pembroke: K. Gerada, K. Borg, G. Muscat, G. Azzopardi (64 J.P. Mifsud Triganza), D. Camilleri (71 A. Hili), Z. Grech, T. Fenech, W. Moacir da Rosa, I. Misan, Y. Tonna, G. Claudio da Silva.

Referee: Alex Johnson.

Scorers: Borg (P) 5; Caetano da Silva (Ż) 10 pen.

Best Player: Yanis Tonna (Pembroke).

Sta Luċija 2
Lija Athletic 1

Sta Luċija: R. Caruana, M. Caruana, N. Spiteri, J. Usuga Mendoza, J. Suda, K. Ante Rosero (85 W. Martinez Ibarra), J. Magri Overend (46 P. Lapira), P. Teixeira Maia, L. Galea, K. Camilleri, N. Borg.

Lija: L. Bonnici, C. Cassar, D. Scerri, E. Beu, A. Sammut, A. Borg, A. Bello Osagie, M. Clinch, A. Azzopardi, A. Galea (77 D. Mintoff), K. Kuroki.

Referee: Fyodor Zammit

Scorers: Beu (L) 15 pen.; Scerri (SL) 60og; Lapira (SL) 62.

Best Player: Paul Lapira (Żejtun).

Qrendi 1
Żejtun Corinthians 4

Qrendi: J. Farrugia, M. Farrugia, B. Bondin (70 D. Micallef), N. Falzon (46 D. Sammut), Z. Bowman, J. Spiteri, D. Zarb, J. Pedro Vargas, R. Dalli, S. Silveira (87 D. Martini).

Żejtun: G. Zammit, C. Giordimaina, D. Albanese, B. Farrugia, A. Farrugia, N. Tabone, E. Vella (46 G. Sultana), R. De Fex Mariaga, A. Smeir (81 I. Azzopardi), R. Spiteri, J. Castano.

Referree: Daniel Portelli.

Scorers: Dalli (Q) 43; Castano (Ż) 24, 30, 53; Giordimaina (Ż) 77.

Best Player: Johan Castano (Żejtun).

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