STA LUĊIJA 1
SIRENS 1
Substitute Luka Mijic scored a fine goal deep in stoppage time to rescue league leaders Sirens from defeat against third-placed Sta Luċija last weekend.
Patrick Teixeira Maia had looked to have given the Saints all three points when putting them ahead. But Sirens had other ideas as they claimed a point that kept them five clear at the top of the standings with Sta Luċija falling six points behind second-placed Gudja United.
“It was sheer bad luck for the second time running,” Sta Luċija coach Marco Glumac told the Times of Malta.
“We lost two points against Naxxar deep into injury time and it happened again. But I’m still happy for my side as we showed our mettle against a very good team. We surprised a lot of people this season and now everyone wants to beat us.”
Sta Luċija took the lead midway through the first half when Teixeira hit the rebound home after a header by Usaga Mendoza was blocked by the Sirens rearguard.
Minutes later, Neil Micallef should have doubled the Saints’ lead but missed a glorious opportunity.
“The first half was all ours as we dictated play and dominated most of the proceedings,” Glumac said.
“But as expected the second half was different with Sirens pushing their men forward. We still showed character but we left Mijic unmarked and that costs us the game.”
Sirens captain Daniel Sant said that it was an excellent result for the team’s hopes of securing top-flight football.
“This is a very important point for us,” Sant said.
“There are still eight matches left and everyone has to fight for every point. Looking at the standings, Sirens and Gudja are the favourites for promotion but nothing is settled yet.
“There is great excitement at St Paul’s Bay as we are desperate to win promotion. But we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground.”
The second half was more balanced with Sirens, now with the wind behind their backs, pushing forward for an equaliser but were never really dangerous in front of goal.
But that all changed in stoppage time.
Sta Luċija could have made it 2-0 when Maia Teixeira was foiled by Miguel Montfort. That miss proved costly as at the other end Mijic hit a thumping drive that flew into the net.
STA LUĊIJA: D. Carabott, J. Busuttil, M. Caruana, N. Spiteri, J. Usaga Mendoza, N. Micallef (60 K. Vella), P. Teixera Maia, K. Ante Rosero (69 L. Mosquera Segura), K. Pulo (90 M. Desira Buttigieg), L. Galea, K. Camilleri.
SIRENS: M. Montfort, K. Farrugia (73 J. Nwoba), R. Mandic, D. Sant, M. Del Negro, M. Morgon Filho, M.A. Bustos (61 L. Mijic), A. Curmi (46 R. Fenech), C. Gauci, A. Ige Adeshina, G. Gesualdi.
Referee: Malcolm Spiteri.
Best Player: Patrick Teixeira Maia (Sta Luċija).
SWIEQI UNITED 1
VITTORIOSA STARS 0
SWIEQI: J.C. Debattista, M. Farrugia, M. Attard, K. Muscat, K. Sultana, I. Margarit (81 L. Scicluna), M. Vella, K. Olowoyo, S. Ibrahim, K. Ezekie (70 S. Grech), D. Borg.
VITTORIOSA: J. Pisani, I. Abela, D. Pisani, I. Curmi (81 M. Barkley), A. Cilia Mumford (72 C. Spiteri), J. Briffa, P. Papadakis, N. Ojuola, J.C. Galea, D. Tabone, T. Abela Wilson.
Referee: Slobodan Petrovic.
Scorer: Muscat 30.
Best Player: Kyle Muscat (Swieqi).
NAXXAR LIONS 1
ŻEBBUĠ RANGERS 5
NAXXAR: O. Borg, P. Changhoon, R. Mercieca, M. Fenech (75 P.S. Ellul), J. Debono, J. Ellul (61 A. Azzopardi), A. Buhagiar, M. Mifsud, E. Farias (80 O. Magri), S. Nanapere, S. Meilak.
ŻEBBUĠ: J. Borg, D. Fava (61 D. Pace), S. Schembri, R. Vella, S. Buhagiar, B. Muscat (61 S. Darmanin), C. Brincat, J. Caetano Da Silva, R. Micallef, J. Farrugia, I. De Rocha Souza (80 K. Tanti).
Referee: Daniel Portelli.
Scorers: Caetano da Silva (Ż) 13, 47 pen; Rocha Souza (Ż) 15; Micallef (Ż) 52, 73; Debono (N) 60 pen.
Red card: Mercieca (N) 29.
Best Player: Ryan Micallef (Żebbuġ).
MARSA 0
GUDJA 3
MARSA: K. Brincat, S. Zampa, J. Bonello, L. Camilleri, J. Lovegrove, L. Ciantar, R. Gatt De Raffaele (49 S. Briffa), O. Cristiani, H. Kawamura (86 E. Pajo), A. Watanabe (86 O. Anyaso), R. Gafa.
GUDJA: J. Debono (86 M. Xerxen), J. Bondin, M. Attard, J. Lima Siqueira, F. Aboulezz (71 A. Mizzi), L.J. Schembri (82 S. Diacono), J. Farrugia, L. Cremona, E. Vella, D. Santos Da Hora, R. Kooh Sohna.
Referee: Sandro Spiteri.
Scorers: Attard 39; Bondin 45; Lima 84.
Best Player: Jackson Lima (Gudja).
QRENDI 0
MQABBA 1
QRENDI: J. Farrugia, D. Micallef, M. Busuttil, L. Brincat (58 K. Abela), M. Barbara, Z. Bowman, D. Zarb (80 B. Bondin), D. Martini, J. Spiteri, C. Quaranta (58 J.P. Vargas), J. Silveira da Silva.
MQABBA: F. Tabone, R. da Silva Gomes, D. Micallef, J. Martins (13 L. Suma), A. Ferreira, B. Grech (86 C. Cutajar), W. Borg, C. Vella, D. Azzopardi, F. Gusman (80 L. Farrugia), N. Micallef.
Referee: Ishmael Barbara.
Scorer: Gusman 79.
Best Player: Chris Vella (Mqabba).
LIJA ATHLETIC 0
PEMBROKE 2
LIJA: L. Bonnici, C. Cassar, L. Muscat, D. Scerri, E. Beu, P. Dandolo (53 A. Azzopardi), A. Bello-Osagie, M. Clinch, O. Sidibe (78 K. Kuroki), A. Galea, C. Gauci
PEMBROKE: P. Schranz, G. Muscat (78 D. Cachia), J.P. Mifsud Triganza (82 K. Borg), G. Azzopardi, Z. Grech, T. Fenech, M.A. Borg, J. Pedro Oliveira Santos, E. Vallecillo (73 I. Misan), Y. Tonna, G. Claudio da Silva
Referee: Andrea Sciriha.
Scorers: Mifsud Triganza 62 pen; Tonna 79.
Best Player: Yanis Tonna (Pembroke).
ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS 1
SAN ĠWANN 3
ŻEJTUN: D. Zarb, I. Azzopardi, C. Giordimaina, D. Albanese, A. Farrugia, B. Farrugia, N. Tabone, G. Azzopardi (64 R. De Fex Mariaga), R. Spiteri (70 A. Smeir), A. Carabott, J. Castano (81 D. Andelkovic).
SAN ĠWANN: C. Formosa, J. Azzopardi, A. Borg, C. Gauci, R. Zammit, A. Cachia (73 J.P. Attard), K. Gatt, M. Ferreira Nestor, J. Tanti, Renan (90 N. Abouaisha), P. Kanzurov (85 L. Mallia).
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann.
Scorers: Spiteri (Ż) 15; Renan (SĠ) 46, 52; Tanti (SĠ) 79.
Best Player: Renan (San Ġwann).