Mġarr triumph over Swieqi to join title race leaders

SWIEQI UNITED 0-2 MĠARR UNITED
Valeria Villegas 29, 90 (M)

Mġarr United secured a crucial 2-0 victory over Swieqi United to move level on 39 points with Hibernians and Swieqi at the top of the Assikura Women’s League.

With just four matches remaining, the title race is set to be one of the most thrilling in recent years. Champions Birkirkara, meanwhile, trail behind with 34 points.

Valeria Villegas (picture) was the star of the match, scoring both goals for Mġarr.

Despite missing a penalty, Villegas reacted quickly to convert the rebound, giving her side the lead.

She later sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal in the second half.

The match had initially been abandoned on February 7 due to inclement weather, but Mġarr made the most of the rescheduled fixture.

The victory was even more impressive considering Mġarr were without key players Brenda Borg and Veronique Mifsud, both sidelined with long-term knee injuries.

However, they were boosted by the return of Patricia Ebejer, who made her comeback after missing Malta’s international duties with a minor injury.

Swieqi introduced new signing Andela Kricak, formerly of San Ġwann, who made her debut in the high-stakes clash.

SWIEQI UNITED
P. Araujo; S. Urpani, J. Flask, E. Xuereb, S. Abdulai, S. Zammit, Rafanny (71 M. Conti), J. Schembri, T. Falzon, A. Kricak, M. Cachia.
Coach: Dorianne Theuma.

MĠARR UNITED
P. Ebejer; A. Said, A. Camilleri, A. Villegas, Y. Carella, L. Cefai, V. Villegas, Y. Mendez, M. Hernandez, R. Bajada, A. Grech.
Coach: Ryan Vella.