Swieqi United 1
San Ġwann 0
Swieqi United midfielder Mirco Vella hailed Swieqi’s tactical organisation as the newly-promoted side bagged three crucial points against relegation rivals San Ġwann last weekend.
An Ion-Alin Margarit penalty was enough for Swieqi to take all spoils that lifted them to seventh in the standings on 20 points while San Ġwann remained second from bottom on 10 points.
“We are delighted with the result,” Vella told the Times of Malta.
“After two successive defeats we put our house in order with a tactically perfect match. San Ġwann were all over us in the first 10 minutes and we could sense that they wanted revenge from our first round encounter where we managed to score three goals in the space of 15 minutes.
“We had to change tactics to try and be stronger in midfield and it worked out well.”
Swieqi goalkeeper Jean Claude Debattista played a starring role for Swieqi as he produced some excellent blocks early on to deny Gianluca Zammit, Sergio Hili and Andre Cachia.
The Saints continued to show the better ideas but they still had to wait until the final minutes of the first half to threaten when a Jan Tanti cross-shot was turned over by Debattista.
Vella said that his team’s pressing game made life difficult for San Ġwann.
“San Ġwann needed at least a point from this match to try and improve their position in the standings. Our three midfielders pressed them really high and that made it difficult for them to stamp their authority,” Vella stressed.
Scoring chances were rare in the second half with Swieqi coming close on 70 minutes when a Kyle Muscat’s effort was turned to a corner by Mario Mestrovic.
Seven minutes from time, Swieqi scored what proved to be the winner.
Kyle Gatt was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area and from the resultant penalty Margarit drilled the ball into the net.
San Ġwann launched a late rally but Swieqi held on for the three points.
Stefano Grima, the San Ġwann coach rued his team’s inability to make the most of their scoring chances.
“We should at least scored a couple of goals in the first half, as we were by far the better side,” Grima said.
“Unfortunately things are not coming our way and had we capitalised on the chances we created, we could be placed higher in the table.
“There are three or four teams who look untouchable at the moment, but the rest are not above us technically and I expect us to improve our position.”
Swieqi: J.C. Debattista, L. Cassar, K. Muscat, K. Sultana, I. Alin Margarit, M. Vella (80 J. Scerri), S. Bugeja (15 D. Borg), K. Olowoyo, S. Ibrahim (87 G. Bugeja), M. Farrugia, L. Scicluna.
San Ġwann: M. Mestrovic, J. Azzopardi, J. Grech (74 J.P. Attard), R. Zammit, A. Cachia, G. Zammit (55 P. Kanzurov), C. Gauci, K. Gatt (87 N. Abouhaisa), J. Tanti, S. Hili, N. Melo Ferreira.
Referee: Slobodan Petrovic.
Best Player: Jean Claude Debattista (Swieqi).
Lija Athletic 3
Naxxar Lions 1
Lija: L. Bonnici, J.C. Cassar, L. Muscat, D. Scerri, E. Beu, A. Borg, A. Bello-Osagie (88 R. Sammut), M. Clinch, A. Azzopardi (52 C. Gauci), A. Galea (84 P. Dandolo), K. Kuroki.
Naxxar: S. Micallef, R. Mercieca, M. Fenech (61 A. Buhagiar), M. Mifsud, F. Cerqueira, J. Debono, R.G. Cassar, J. Ellul, Caydon Bugeja (82 P.S. Ellul), S. Nanapere, B. Essel.
Referee: Darryl Agius.
Scorers: Kuroki (L) 7; Farias (N) 21; Beu (L) 22; Muscat (L) 26.
Best Player: Erjon Beu (Lija Athletic).
Red card: Scerri (L) 47.
Marsa 2
Sirens 10
Marsa: K. Brincat, S. Vella, J. Lovegrove, S. Camilleri, D. Agius, L. Friggieri, A. Abdalla Sreti, R. Mifsud, L. Ciantar, R. Gafa, M. Marra.
Sirens: S. Cutajar, R. Mandic, R. Grech, M.A. Morgon Filho, M.A. Bustos, C. Gauci (46 M. Micallef), L. Galea, A. Ige Adeshina, G. Gesualdi, R. Previ, R. Fenech.
Referee: Shaun Calleja.
Scorers: Ige (S) 7, 44; Galea (S) 10; Mandic (S) 16; Morgon Filho (S) 18 pen., 34, 37; Fenech (S) 22; Gesualdi (M) 26 og; Micallef (S) 48, 57; Friggieri (M) 72 pen.
Best Player: Marco Antonio Morgon Filho (Sirens).
Vittoriosa Stars 1
Mqabba 0
Vittoriosa: C. Cassar, D. Zampa, J. Ogunnupe (88 B.M. Panzo), A. Cilia Mumford, J. Briffa, J. Pace (74 M. Scicluna), P. Papadakis, N. Ojuola, D. Tabone, L. Casha, T. Abela Wilson.
Mqabba: F. Tabone, L. Farrugia (62 L. Suma), R. Da Silva Gomes, D. Micallef (73 D. Aquilina), G. Micallef, B. Grech, W. Borg, C. Vella (78 C. Cutajar), D. Azzopardi, F. Gusman, N. Micallef.
Referee: Andrea Sciriha.
Scorer: Casha (V) 48.
Best Player: Luca Casha (Vittoriosa Stars).
Gudja United 1
Pembroke 0
Gudja: J. Debono, J. Bondin, M. Attard (61 L. Martinelli), J. Lima, F. Aboulezz (75 A. Mizzi), S. Diacono, L. Micallef, J. Farrugia, L. Cremona, D. Santos da Hora, A. Marshall.
Pembroke: K. Gerada, K. Borg, G. Muscat (65 D. Cachia), D. Camilleri (90 C. Camilleri), Z. Grech, T. Fenech, W. Moacir da Rosa, M.A. Borg, I. Tonna, Y. Tonna (66 A. Hili), G. Claudio da Silva.
Referee: Paul Toledo.
Scorer: Aboulezz 49.
Best Player: Jurgen Farrugia (Gudja).
Qrendi 0
Sta Luċija 3
Qrendi: J. Farrugia, M. Farrugia (75 D. Micallef), C. Caruana (72 D. Zarb), N. Falzon, R. Dalli (58 B. Bondin), M. Barbara, Z. Bowman, J. Spiteri, J.P. Da Silva Vargas, C. Quaranta, J. Silveira Da Silva.
Sta Luċija: R. Caruana, M. Caruana, N. Spiteri, J. Usaga Mendoza, M. Desira Buttigieg (46 P. Lapira), J. Suda, K. Ante Rosero (46 M. Guillari), K. Pulo, P. Teixeira Maia, K. Camilleri, N. Borg (85 M. Gatt).
Referee: Sandro Spiteri
Scorers: Suda 48 pen; Guillari 53 pen.; Lapira 62.
Best Player: Jurgen Suda (Sta Luċija).
Żejtun Corinthians 3
Żebbuġ Rangers 0
Żejtun: G. Zammit, C. Giordemaina, A. Carabott, A. Smeir (65 R. Spiteri), G. Sultana, J. Castano, D. Albanese (77 I. Azzopardi), R. De Fex Marriaga (85 V. Geraskins), B. Farrugia, N. Tabone, G. Azzopardi.
Żebbuġ: J. Borg, S. Schembri, R. Vella, H. Vella, D. Pace (31 I. De Rocha Souza), A. Curmi (84 K. Tanti), B. Muscat, C. Brincat (46 J. Farrugia), J. Caetano Da Silva, R. Micallef, G. De Sousa Braga.
Referee: Etienne Mangion.
Scorers: G. Sultana 22; Smeir 29, 44.
Best Player: Adrian Carabott (Żejtun).