Żebbuġ Rangers 0
Pietà Hotspurs 1

Pietà Hotspurs coach Brian Spiteri lauded his team’s efforts as the Blues got their second win of the season against Żebbuġ Rangers on Sunday.

The Hotspurs were a completely different kettle of fish from the team that lost to Lija Athletic on Matchday Two, while Żebbuġ’s disjointed performance cost them precious points against a side with players considerably younger than them.

Spiteri admitted that his team put a much more confident performance than against Lija Athletic.

“Last week, conceding an early goal and starting off on such a slow pace worked against us. Then we conceded another and it was very difficult for us to recover against a team with much more experienced players,” Spiteri said.

“This time around, we scored first and I believe we could have even scored more to give us a better platform for the second half.

“You can expect to suffer a little in the second half. Żebbuġ are, in my opinion, a very physical side and we are relatively young as a team so we need to work hard and be patient.”

The Hotspurs had James Scicluna to thank for his impressive speed and energy on the flanks. Scicluna supplied the cross leading to Pietà’s all important goal and was a constant threat to the Żebbuġ defence until he was taken off for a knock late in the game.

The Blues’ mentor said the youth element worked in favour of the team this time, as “the boys ran and stuck to instructions constantly.”

“I’m happy with the result because I think it can give us a boost for the rest of the season,” he said.

Having a squad that has an average age of 23 years, Spiteri faces a challenge to keep up with the experience of other teams.

“I knew what kind of squad I was going to be working with from the start,” Spiteri said. “But we’ve got players who have won a lot and that helps.”

Last season, Pietà have achieved the double with both the Under 15s and 17s as well as winning the Under 19s knockout. The only thing standing in their way of another double was a decider which they lost 2-1 in extra time against Birkirkara.

“We need to work with these players to help them develop and mature further. It will take time but I’m very comfortable in this environment,” Spiteri admitted.

“Pietà have always been like this. The only difference now is that this season is transitional for us. We’ve lost a number of players and apart from two foreigners and one Maltese player, we’ve had no additions to the squad so the nucleus of the team is the number of players coming out of the Pietà nursery.”

The Blues exploited a troubled Żebbuġ right flank from the start.

After just four minutes, Scicluna escaped his marker for one of his runs, reaching a throughball and giving himself the space to angle a cross into the box. The delivery was accurate enough for Nicholas Pisani to take the first-time shot which ricocheted against the upright and into the net.

Żebbuġ looked on the ropes in defence and their passing was not any better; Their shots were too easy for Hotspurs custodian Miguel Chetcuti.

The Hotspurs, on the other hand, pushed the Rangers’ goalkeeper Matthew Grech to his limits as he was forced to save the day twice in five minutes after shots from Caetano Ze Lucas and Quincy Bregman.

Pietà shouted for a penalty right before half time but referee Mario Apap ruled Scicluna was In an offside position before anyone could complain.

The Greens brought on Abeeb Williams at the start of the second half and while his efforts showed a clear difference from the opening 45 minutes of play, they were not enough to level the score.

Żebbuġ, however, looked hungry and Chetcuti had to work to keep the lead intact.

Spiteri brought on Jake Ghio for Ishaya Jalo and Clyde Bouvet instead of scorer Pisani to freshen up his attack.

But it was Żebbuġ who got closest to scoring when they had a goal disallowed 10 minutes from time after Muda Fagbeja fouled his way into the box before hitting his shot.

Żebbuġ: M. Grech, D. Fava, R. Vella, M. Del Negro, R. Zammit, S. Buhagiar (80 R. Cutajar), M. Fagbeja, C. Brincat, N. Ojuola, J. Farrugia (46 A. Williams), G. Gesualdi (90 O. Busuttil).

Pietà: M. Chetcuti, T. Bartolo, N. Pace Cocks, D. Vukovic, C. Gauci, N. Pisani (73 C. Bouvet), Q. Bregman, C. Ze Lucas, I. Jalo (59 J. Ghio), J. Scicluna (88 S. Mizzi), L. Adamec.

Referee: Mario Apap

Best Player: James Scicluna (Pietà Hotspurs)

Summaries

Qormi 1
Swieqi United 4

Qormi: J. Azzopardi, A. Abela, A. Cassar (39 N. Gauci), F. Gusman, N. Ghio, F. Gnindokponou, B. Grech (77 C. Debattista), M. Borg, I. Zammit (57 T. Gusman), C. Matombo, R. Silva.

Swieqi: E. Gatt, J. Azzopardi, K. Muscat, M. Ivanovic, K. Sultana, S. Bugeja, A. Schembri Wismayer, R. Taliana (55 G. Bugeja), M. Farrugia, T. Ayorinde (77 L. Grech), N. Fernandes (62 I. Salis).

Referee: Sandro Spiteri.

Scorers: Fernandes (S) 3, 33; Ayorinde (S) 54 pen; Salis (S) 73; Gnindokponou (Q) 84 pen.

St. Andrews 1
Naxxar Lions 2

St Andrews: N. Grima, I. Azzopardi (89 D. Curmi), M. D’Alessandro, M. Potezica, A. Martin, M. Bartolo, J. Farrugia, J. Sixsmith (76 L. Borg), D. Jackson, M. Veslji, A. Borg (76 N. Bradshaw).

Naxxar: O. Borg, J. Sciberras, B. Essel, M. Fenech, R. Cassar, M. Mifsud, J. Ellul (76 D. Falzon), S. Meilak, J. Debono (88 A. Azzopardi), G. Carrara, E. Farias (88 J. Camilleri).

Referee: Philip Farrugia.

Scorers: Farias (N) 57; Mifsud (N) 64; Farrugia (S) 78 pen.

Pembroke Athleta 1
Fgura United 2

Pembroke: P. Schranz, G. Azzopardi, A. Vujovic (53 Y. Shaba), T. Fenech, M. Brincat, M. Zarb (57 Y. Tonna), D. Camilleri, N. Frendo, P. Santos, A. Smeir, L. Mijic (57 J.P. Mifsud Triganza).

Fgura: L. Moore, J. Cassar, J. Vella, C. Valero (84 A. Toncheff), P. Chircop (51, J. Barbara), S. Borg, C. Gandini, T. Grech, S. Hili (78 A. Mumford), D. Cartella, G. Galea.

Referee: Daniel Portelli.

Scorers: Borg (F) 30; Hili (F) 59; Mifsud Triganza (P) 89.

Red cards: Frendo (P) 90; Vella (F) 90.

Mqabba 1
St George's 2

Mqabba: F. Tabone, J. Micallef, M. Caruana, K. Camilleri (65 C. Cutajar), D. Micallef, K. Magro, Y. Omuro (56 I. Margarit), J. Spiteri (46 K. Xuereb), A. Ferreira, P. Chimezie, G. Micallef.

St. George’s: J. Azzopardi, L. Cutajar, A. Marshall, M. Mentosa (72 J. Dalli), J. Grech, A. Hili, G. D’Amato, M. Uritani (75 C. Park), C. Cassar, S. Perdomo (80 L. Bonett), D. Caruana.

Referee: Slobodan Petrovic.

Scorers: Caruana (SG) 31, 51; Chimezie (M) 38 pen.

Red card: Cutajar (S) 30.

Lija Athletic 2
Vittoriosa Stars 1

Lija: L. Bonnici, C. Cassar, M. Clinch, L. Muscat, C. Giordimaina, A. Galea (78 A. Azzopardi), A. Borg, C. Gauci, K. Seakanyeng (92 G. Borg), H. Palomino, E. Beu.

Vittoriosa: Z. Valletta, K. Vella, A. Galea, C. Spiteri, J. Briffa, L. Gauci, A. Ellul (G. Calleja), D. Tabone, O. Guerrero, L. Casha (57 I. Abela), G. Sultana.

Referee: Slawomir Olucha

Scorers: Palomino (L) 5, 90; Guerrero (V) 31 pen.

Qrendi 1
Żejtun Corinthians 4

Qrendi: R. Marmara, L. Martinelli, S. Radovanovic, E. Vella, A. Agius (70 S. Schembri), D. Azzopardi, C. Camilleri, D. Sammut, L. Schembri (61 B. Muscat), J. Silveira, A. Nilsson (78 D. Zarb).

Żejtun: C. Cassar, K. Farrugia, D. Sowatey, L. Cassar Jackson, A. Mizzi, N. Tabone, D. Agius (85 J. Galea), J. Suda, A. Carabott (78 R. Attard), R. Santos (30 R. Mariaga), J. Ogunuppe.

Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann

Scorers: Ogunuppe (Z) 11; Nilsson (Q) 26 pen.; Suda (Z) 35 pen.; Carabott (Z) 45; Mariaga (Z) 62.