Champions obtain first win

Balzan Youths 1
Sliema Wanderers 3

Following their unconvincing start to the season, champions Sliema Wanderers finally chalked up their first win of the campaign at the expense of minnows Balzan Youths.

On paper, a convincing win beckoned for Edward Aquilina's lads but in reality, the Blues were made to sweat more than expected before their opponents were finally conquered midway through the second half.

Fielding a starting line-up boasting several players with international pedigree, Sliema were expected to stroll to an easy win against a side still struggling to find its feet among the top guns.

Yet, the newcomers stole the show with their disciplined approach to the game as Jaroslav Marx, Nikolai Filipov and Michael Valenzia were outstanding for the Youths.

With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of the first half, Sliema seemed heading for another dismal result before Nenad Veselji's entrance in the second half.

The seasoned striker failed to get his name on the scoresheet but it was his tireless running which caused Balzan to wilt as Jimmy Briffa's side crashed to its third consecutive defeat.

The quick-thinking Noel Turner nearly caught the Youths' rearguard off guard early on as he slipped a free-kick to the unmarked Dybrill Sylla, yesterday starting his first match for Sliema.

The former Gozo midfielder picked out Bogdanovic at the far post but his header was cleared to safety by the Balzan defence.

Inside the first quarter, it was the Blues' turn to survive a scare. In a slick move, Marx cashed in on a static defence as he carved an opening for Filipov who beat the offside trap but failed to beat Murphy Akanji as the Sliema guardian blocked the effort.

The Youths maintained their momentum as Filipov galloped down the field and served the hard-working Stefan Zahra who unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area that required Akanji's outstretched arm to deviate it for a corner.

Midway through the first half, the Blues finally drew first blood. Danilo Doncic passed the ball towards Sylla whose volley gave Ernest Barry no chance.

The floodgates were now expected to open but it was not to be as Balzan restored equilibrium.

Filipov was once again the mastermind of the move as his fast pace was clearly creating problems for the champions. The Bulgarian connected well with skipper Marx who flicked the ball for the onrushing Valenzia to slot home.

After the change of ends, Aquilina introduced Rupert Mangion instead of Jamie Pace who had a rather quiet first half.

Mangion was soon in the thick of action as he chipped a timely ball to Bogdanovic whose low shot missed the far post by a whisker.

Sylla was the only player who was posing problems to the red-shirted players.

Five minutes into the second half, he rose well to meet a Joe Brincat free-kick but his header rebounded off the ground and missed the target.

On the hour, Bogdanovic tried to earn his side a penalty by falling inside the penalty area as he was closely guarded by Tellus. The referee thought otherwise and cautioned the striker for simulation.

As the minutes ebbed away, Aquilina opted for a second substitution, bringing on Veselji to bolster the Blues' attack.

This move proved to be Sliema's salvo as the champions stepped up a gear and scored two quick goals to secure their first victory of the campaign.

On 67 minutes, a flash of brilliance by defender Brian Said toppled the Balzan rearguard which until then had withstood the test.

Said displayed some deft footwork as he powered his way past a maze of players before slotting the ball towards Veselji who spotted Doncic to his right.

With only Barry to beat, Doncic clinically buried the ball into the net to ease the intense pressure that had been gathering inside the Sliema clan.

Less than ten minutes later, Balzan were down and out as Doncic struck his side's third goal.

A short corner did the trick to unhinge the defence as Doncic flashed in and had the better of Barry with a low shot.

The former Sliema goalkeeper seemed to have tamed the shot only to fumble the effort as the ball rolled gently into the net.

Sliema were now home and dry but their performance suggested that they still have a long way to go before they can scale the heights of last season.

Sliema W.: M. Akanji, J. Brincat, B. Said, N. Turner, K. Sammut, D. Doncic, D. Bogdanovic (N. Veselji), J. Chetcuti, D. Sylla, S. Giglio (K. Laferla), J. Pace (R. Mangion).

Balzan Y.: E. Barry, M. Valenzia (N. Arpa), A. Muscat, S. Tellus, T. Maric, M. Caruana, N. Filipov, J. Marx, K. Coleiro (A. Gera), S. Zahra (G. Scerri), M. Martin.

Referee: Paul Caruana.

Scorers: Sylla 25; Valenzia 35; Doncic 67, 76.

Yellow Cards: Caruana; Chetcuti; Brincat; Bogdanovic; Mangion.

MIA Player Of The Match: Jaroslav Marx (Balzan).