Xerri own goal denies Spartans as Wanderers grind out point

SLIEMA WANDERERS 1

Xerri 87og

ĦAMRUN SPARTANS 1

Montebello 81

SLIEMA WANDERERS

K. Emeka, J. Borg, A. Magri Overand (70 G. Acheampong), M. Beerman, G. Alcino (86 N. Strickland), Wescley, B. Henrique, S. Zibo (86 N. Frendo), S. Pisani, M. Awad (70 V. Plut), J. Bastos (90 S.da Silva).

ĦAMRUN SPARTANS

H. Bonello, D. Letherby (74 S. Xerri) L. Montebello, J. Mbong, E. Freitas, G. Vella, (74 L. Talison), J.C. Corbalan (36 M. Ellul), Mayron, K. Scicluna, E. Marcelina, R. Lopes Silva.

Referee: Fyodor Zammit.

Yellow Lopes Silva, Freitas.

The encounter between Sliema and Ħamrun featured a sting in the tail as when Ħamrun thought they had the points in the bag, Sliema saved a point, helped by an own goal from substitute Sven Xerri, to deny a resurguent Ħamrun a third consecutive win.

Ħamrun were again down to the bare bones with Roko Prsa and Shaisen Attard being late additions to their growing injury list.

Ħamrun coach Alessandro Zinnardi was left with no option but to field a very inexperienced side with Kean Scicluna joining Gabriel Vella and Daniel Letherby in midfield. Up front they were boosted with the return of Luke Montebello.

Paul Zammit’s selection underlined his belief in the old football saying of ‘never change a winning side’ as Slovenian striker Vito Plut started on the bench again.

Goalmouth action was in short supply in the opening period.

Mohammed Awad’s profligacy spared Ħamrun from suffering an early setback, hitting a diagonal shot wide after 18 minutes.

Ħamrun lacked a sense of purpose early on but yet, after 23 minutes, Montebello’s ferocious free-kick was tipped over the bar by Kelvin Agu.

Zinnardi was forced into a first substitution after 36 minutes as Juan Carlos Corbalan limped off injured and was replaced by Matthias Ellul. 

The second half start as quietly as the first but Ħamrun were unfortunate not to be given a penalty after an apparent handball from Sliema striker Wescley. TV replays have shown that the ball had struck the Brazilian’s outstretched arm in the box from Montebello’s corner.

Yet it was Sliema who looked likelier to enliven a drab encounter played at a lethargic pace.

So, after 70 minutes, Zammit tried to inject a dose of urgency and vigour into their game to break down the solid Ħamrun as he introduced Geoffrey Acheampong and Plut.

Yet, both teams had been lacking the cutting edge in the final third of the pitch until Montebello emphatically put that right with his sweetly struck strike which put the Spartans ahead.

Talison, profiting from some hesitant defending from Gustavo Alcino on the right, set up the overlapping Raphael Lopes who squared the ball to Montebello for the finish.

When Ħamrun thought they had the points in the bag, with only three minutes left to play, substitute Sven Xerri sliced Jonatan Bastos’s shot into his own net. That goal came from nothing.

But in the injury time, Montebello wasted a glorious opening after Xerri slid a cross into the striker’s path only for the Malta attacker to hit his shot wide.