Marsakala's Jean Claude Cutajar fires at goal against Valletta. Photo: Domenic Aquilina
In the First Division final on Saturday, any comparisons with the epic contest between Premier Division’s San Giljan and Sliema would be superfluous as Marskala thrashed Valletta 7-1.
The relative dearth of goals, eight in all, added to the low-profile texture of the match, even considering that the difference between the teams on paper was not all that pronounced.
It was all square before the change of ends as both sessions produced little excitement.
David Pace Lupi exploited a gap in Valletta’s defence as Marsaskala nosed ahead at the end of the third session.
In any case, Marsaskala were the smarter lot with their knack of producing unexpected ploy to breach the opposing defensive cover. That virtuosity was provided mainly by their experienced players Pace Lupi and Paul Privitera who finished off their opponents to take a 1-0 lead in the First Division Play-Offs.
MARSASKALA 7
VALLETTA 1
(1-1, 0-0, 1-0, 5-0)
MARSASKALA J. Micallef, JC Cutajar, A. Camenzuli 1, P. Privitera 1, R. Greco, G. Galea, K. Navarro 1, M. Manara, D. Pace Lupi 3, G. Sammut, J. Ciantar 1, M. Carani, A. Muscat, F. Scardino, L. Falzon.
VALLETTA B. Busuttil, N. Farrugia, M. Pace, J. Culic, S. Busuttil, Z. Micallef, D. Paolella, M. M. Mifsud, S. Micallef 1, A. Agius, K. Galea, K. Cremona, A. Bugeja, L. Felice, R. Attard.