The YoHealth Malta Premier resumed over the weekend with Matchday Two, which will wrap up this Sunday when Ħamrun Spartans face rivals Valletta.
The match was rescheduled to allow the Spartans sufficient time to prepare for Thursday’s decisive UEFA Conference League play-off second leg against RFS of Latvia – a clash that could see a Maltese club reach the group stage of a UEFA competition for the first time.
Meanwhile, Matchday Two delivered its fair share of drama, from Mosta’s upset of Sliema to another high-scoring Hibernians affair.
Stripes struggling for goals
Birkirkara failed to impress last weekend as they were held to a goalless draw against Gżira United, in a match that again highlighted the club’s growing difficulty in scoring goals.
After their season-opening goalless stalemate against newly-promoted Valletta, much more was expected by Stefano De Angelis’s men against a Gżira United side that had suffered a defensive collapse in their opening match against Hibernians when they threw away a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3.
Despite investing heavily in the transfer market to bolster their forward line, it seems that the new arrivals have yet to start firing goals for the Stripes.
In the close season, De Angelis has brought in the likes of Franklin Sasere, Lucas Macula, Geoffrey Acheampong, and Jan Busuttil in a bid to add more flair and power to their attacking line.
But so far, none of them has managed to provide the much-needed spark that would yield goals.
Last weekend, De Angelis handed a first start to Jan Busuttil, who operated behind Kemar Reid and Lucas Macula. However, the team seemed to struggle to break down Gżira’s defensive line, managing just one shot on target throughout the whole 90 minutes.
The departure of Alex Satariano, who decided to pursue his career in Greece, has left a major hole in the team’s engine room, as so far there hasn’t been a player capable of replicating his incisive runs from midfield and opening the opposing defence wide open.
The Stripes’ forward line seems to rely too much on their forwards’ speed and physical power, but is lacking a player who can provide a telling pass with his flair to help them breach low-block defences.
With less than a week till the closure of the summer window, it cannot be ruled out that Birkirkara will get back into the market to try and bring another reinforcement to add more versatility to their forward line.
Mosta stun Wanderers
Mosta secured their first points of the season with a late strike from summer signing Leonardo Silva.
Sliema Wanderers entered the campaign as title contenders, with club president Keith Perry emphasising the strength of their squad and ambitions across all domestic fronts. After opening with victory over Żabbar St Patrick, however, the Blues slipped to an early setback.
Despite dominating possession and creating chances, Sliema failed to make their pressure count.
Mosta, meanwhile, displayed the resilience and smart recruitment that have become their hallmark for survival in the top-flight.
A major upset, and another reminder of the league’s growing competitiveness.
Hibernians’ leaking goals
Hibernians let slip a narrow advantage against Żabbar St Patrick, settling for a 2-2 draw at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.
That result leaves them on four points but with defensive issues mounting – five goals conceded in their opening two league matches, on top of the seven shipped to Spartak Trnava in Europe. Twelve goals in four outings underline coach Branko Nisevic’s concerns.
Veteran goalkeeper Justin Haber returned between the posts, replacing the injured Laurentiu Branescu, and in doing so became the oldest player to appear in the Maltese top-flight at 44 years, 2 months, and 15 days.
But the bigger blow came with talisman Jurgen Degabriele stretchered off with a potentially serious knee injury.
Maltese talent the difference
In a league increasingly dominated by foreign imports, a Maltese player stole the headlines on Sunday night.
Ensell Attard, 20, came off the bench to score Marsaxlokk’s stoppage-time winner against Naxxar Lions, less than 10 minutes after entering the pitch. The forward joined this summer from Melita.
The match itself, however, offered a stark reminder of the limited opportunities for homegrown players.
Only six Maltese footballers started across both line-ups, including Italian-born naturalised defender Enrico Pepe, while just three homegrown talents came on as substitutes, all after the 85th minute.
