Valletta United’s big victory over Birżebbuġa has pushed them closer to a berth in this season’s Premier Division.
On Saturday, they were too strong for the southerners. Valletta’s initial 4-1 advantage was extended thereafter as the match assumed the proportions of a monologue after the break. The score at the change of ends was 8-4 with their goals coming from Jacob Sciberras (3), Simon Micallef, Sebastian Busutttil (2) and Ivan Nagaev (2).
In the third session, Joe Cremona’s team scored five in succession for a comfortable 13-4 advantage with a session left. Valletta were in total command. They added six more in the last quarter and could afford to relax as their opponents pulled back three goals.
As expected, Neptunes picked spoils at the expense of a team from across St Julian’s Bay – Exiles. The Balluta Bay’s side were on top throughout against opponents who had neither the knowhow nor the staying power to be competitive, let alone stay with them as they eased to a 20-4 win.
Neptunes dominated their opponents in the first session, scoring three goals without conceding.
Zone cover forced both teams to shoot from a distance, but Neptunes were the better team in this respect, especially through Steve Camilleri and Sam Gialanze who beat the buzzer from the imaginary halfway line. The excellent Dimitrii Kholod was directing operations.
The Reds had a good 6-0 base when Exiles pulled back three goals through a Kurt Griscti brace and another from Drasko Gogov.
In the third session, Aleksandar Ciric’s team scored five times in succession for a comfortable 11-3 advantage with a session left.
The longer the game went the more of a training spin it become for Neptunes as Exiles could never stop their sharper opponents from cruising to a comfortable win.
At this point, it was a matter of how big the Reds’ victory would be and whether they would reach the 20-goal mark which they did through Jake Muscat who brought up his tally to four goals after Gialanze netted his fifth for an emphatic success.
Marsascala, after conceding the first league defeat at the hands of Birżebbuġa, picked up their first spoils at the expense of Barracudas. The southerners hope this will be a victory which would hopefully open the way for a series of positive results in their bid to clinch a berth in the Premier Division.
Arpad Babay’s side appeared to be well in control as they surged to a 9-4 lead before the teams’ changing ends. Initially, Keith Grima Scott’s troops held on to a balanced 2-2 draw, only for the southseasiders to run into full throttle at the end of the first session.
They were too strong for the Northerners, moreso after Barracudas foreigner Mario Guidi was excluded with substitution midway through the second session for foul language.
Barracudas were too erratic in defence, conceding a handful of penalties in their bid to tame their opponents. Marsascala’s foreigner Edoardo Manzi revelled in his skills as top marksman converting a couple of five-metre throws to score nine goals in all.
BIRZEBBUĠA 7
VALLETTA 19
(0-4, 4-4, 0-5, 3-6)
BIRZEBBUGA: S. Livori, M. Aquilina 2, N. Cassar, B. Grech 1, J. Cauchi, M. Manara, A. Barroso 3, M. Cassar , S. Bezzina, G. Mannino 1, M. Curmi, K. Manara.
VALLETTA: B. Busuttil, M. Mifsud 1, J. Sciberras 4, S. Busuttil 3, K. Borg 2, M. Zammit 3, I. Nagev 5, S. Micallef 1, A. Agius, K. Cremona, A. Bugeja.
Refs: M. Angilleri, A. Chimenti.
NEPTUNES 20
EXILES 4
(3-0, 3-3, 5-0, 9-1)
NEPTUNES: A. Borg Cole, D. Kholod, S. Gialanze 5, G. Pace 2, J. Camilleri 1, L. Mallia, S. Camilleri 3, M. Castillo, J. Muscat 4, J. Bajada 2, A. Fenech 3, E. Mallia, M. Rossi.
EXILES: Z. Dzanovic, Z. Cutajar, Z. Micallef, D. Pace Lupi, M. Martellaci, S. Cutajar 1, D. Gogov 1, K. Griscti 2, N. Paris, N. Bonavia, M. Fenech, N. Saliba, G. Galea.
Refs: Ronnie Spiteri, Tiziano Petrini.
BARRACUDAS 7
MARSASKALA 16
(2-5, 2-4, 2-2, 1-5)
BARRACUDAS: C. Borg, C. Bugeja, N. Farrugia, P Micallef 1, W. Ruggies 1, R. Scriotino, K. Mock 1, J. Schembri, S. Apap, M. Guidi, N. Rizzo 1, C. Saliba 3, G. Massa.
MARSASKALA: A. Muscat, D. Ciantar 1, E. Manzi 9, J Pace Mizzi, M. Carani, R. Greco, K. Navarro 1, M. Farrugia 2, K. Grech, G. Sammut 1, J. Ciantar 1, M. Agius, M. Borg 1.
Refs A. Chimenti, J. Cauchi.
TA’ XBIEX 7
SAN ĠILJAN 22
(1-5, 1-6, 3-5, 2-6)
TA’ XBIEX: J. Micallef, J. Farrugia, V. Figliomeni 1, A. Camenzuli , F. Scardino 1, M. Jelaca 3, J.Saliba 1, G. Gatt, M. Soler, J. Culic, Z. Bartolo, P. Tabone, A. Theuma, T. Fenech.
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, N. Bugelli 2, D. Tully, G. Bonavia 1, R. Caruana, M. Zammit 4, J. Bonavia 1, B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela 2, N. Zammit 10, N. Zammit, N. Schiavone 1.
Referees: Tiziano Pettini, Richard Magri.
SIRENS 17
OTTERS 11
(4-2, 4-4, 6-3, 3-2)
SIRENS: M. Bonello, P. Serracino, K. Erdogan, P. Borg, J. Cachia 1, K. Agius 3, D. Merkulov 6, I. Riolo 1, J. Zerafa Gregory 2,G. Farrugia 1, M. Sciberras, M. Azzopardi 2, J. Chircop 1, M. Ortoleva.
OTTERS: M. Xerri, M. Bonnic, K. Scicluna, T. Milne, M. Meli 2, D. Dimech, I. Azzopardi, D. Camilleri, L. Dimec 3, P. Smiljevic 5, M. Farrugia, A. Dimech, M. Grech, A. Azzopardi.
Referees: Alessandro Chimenti, Stefan Licari.
MARSAXLOKK 12
SLIEMA 21
(1-6, 3-6, 5-5, 3-4)
MARSAXLOKK: Miguel Farrugia, Max Lanzon 3, A. Cook, A. Aquilina, T. Agius 1, J. Valletta 1, R. Spiteri 1, J. Bawley, B. Lewis, T. Borg Tabone, D. Vasic 5, R. Attard 1, A. Fava, S. Mifsud 1.
SLIEMA: Z. Mizzi 1, L. Galea 5, J. Gambin 1, E. Schembri 2, B. Cachia, J. Cutajar 2, D. Rizzo 1, J. Brownrigg 1, A. Galea 1, S. Engerer 1, D. Zammit 5, M. Castillo, J. Cassar 1.
Referees: Tiziano Petrini, Alex De Raffaele.
