PIETÀ HOTSPURS 0

FLORIANA 2

Paiber 63, Marcelina 72

Floriana moved to safer waters as two second-half goals handed them a 2-0 win over Pietà Hotspurs.

The Greens made their intentions clear right from the start, going close in the opening minutes with a cross shot from the left by Arthur Oyama which just missed the target. On 17 minutes, off another cross by Oyama, Tiago Galvao’s header was parried by Nicky Vella.

Brandon Paiber tried his luck with a diagonal shot on 32 minutes which scraped past the post and seven minutes later, Alex Cini’s low shot from outside the area ended just wide.

In the second half, Floriana remained in the driving seat and on 48 minutes, Ulises Arias tested Nicky Vella with a low shot from the left but the Pietà goalkeeper turned the ball into a corner.

Floriana finally managed to break the deadlock on 63 minutes. It was Brandon Paiber’s diagonal shot from the right which beat the Pietà goalkeeper.

Nine minutes later, Floriana doubled the score to kill any hopes the Hotspurs had of rescuing a point from the game. This time, it was a brilliant first-time volley by Emerson Marcelina from just inside the area which stunned the Pietà custodian.

The Greens maintained the pressure and Brandon Paiber went close with a cross shot from the right which was turned into a corner on 76 minutes.

In the dying minutes, Pietà could have scored a consolation goal when Juan Manuel Artiaga served Uchenna Umeh from the left but the Nigerian’s powerful drive was turned into a corner in style by Akpan.

Floriana's Emerson Marcelina was named BOV Player of the Match.