Amateurs stun pacesetters Balzan
Melita 3Balzan Youths 0 Melita stopped Balzan Youths from moving to second place in the standings after beating them 3-0 in an entertaining match at the Tedesco Stadium yesterday. Despite taking the field without the influential Julian Galea,...
Melita 3
Balzan Youths 0
Melita stopped Balzan Youths from moving to second place in the standings after beating them 3-0 in an entertaining match at the Tedesco Stadium yesterday.
Despite taking the field without the influential Julian Galea, relegation-troubled Melita played at a par with promotion-seekers Balzan. For the Amateurs, none played better than goalkeeper Karl Zahra and defender George Gribbon.
As expected, Balzan seized the initiative right from the start and after only six minutes Jonathan Francica headed just wide from a corner.
Ivan Zammit's team were in control but Simon Shead wasted two glorious chances with Zahra distinguishing himself with a fine save on one occasion.
Zahra was at it again midway through the half when he made a flying save, this time to stop David Agius's shot from the distance.
Melita were finding it hard to come out of their defensive shell and a David Fenech piledriver rattled the bar with the Melita keeper beaten.
The Amateurs were trying to operate on the counter and on 30 minutes Nicolo Baldacchino drove the ball just wide following a perfect Tobias Terpougoff pass.
Melita held tight, however, and Balzan did not manage another sniff at goal before half-time.
Ten minutes after the restart Shead missed a sitter when heading badly in front of Zahra from a Fenech ball. The Youths paid dearly for that miss as Melita struck on the hour when Gribbon rose high to head in from a free-kick.
Zahra preserved his team's lead with another vital save on a Clayton Caruana shot and 18 minutes from time Zammit brought the best out of the Balzan keeper with a shot from outside the box.
But a minute later it was Terpougoff who slotted the ball home after a fine solo move.
Melita could have made it 3-0 when Baldacchino hit the upright following some good work by Terpougoff. Zahra denied Fenech from close in and in stoppage time the Balzan rearguard was caught napping and Terpouggoff flicked the ball past Tabone to make it 3-0.
Melita: K. Zahra, S. Bonnici (N. Zammit), D. Gravino, G. Gribbon, M. Borg, M. Fenech (S. Galea), N. Baldacchino, T. Terpougoff, J. Mifsud (J. Mifsud), L. Micallef, I. Bilocca.
Balzan: F. Tabone, F. Farrugia, C. Micallef (R. Forace), J. Francica, D. Agius (I. Zammit), S. Aquilina, B. Bondin, D. Fenech, C. Caruana (M. Sciortino) P. Anizoba, S. Shead.
Referee: Tristan Farrugia Cann.
Man of the match: Karl Zahra (Melita).