QRENDI 3
LIJA ATHLETIC 2
Lija Athletic’s latest signing Frank Temile, on loan from Sliema Wanderers, said his aim for the coming months was to try and help the club achieve promotion despite their last-minute defeat to Qrendi on Sunday at the Centenary Stadium.
“Right now I don’t want to look too far forward because I’m just coming back from a long injury. I’m just grateful that I’m back playing,” Temile told the Times of Malta.
“I’m here to help the team reach our objective and then we’ll see. My personal goal is for us to win promotion and I hope we can get there.”
The Nigerian, a former Dynamo Kiev player, scored one and set up another but his side were to be denied as Qrendi came back from behind twice and won the match in the dying moments.
Lija could have taken the top spot in Division One at the end of the first round with a win against Qrendi but have to settle for second place on 25 points, three points behind current leaders Żejtun Corinthians who also dropped points, as Qrendi climb up to fourth ahead of Naxxar Lions, just a point under St Andrews who are third with 24.
“I think overall we are all disappointed because we wanted to win and because we missed a lot of chances, and we gave some silly goals away,” Temile admitted.
“We have to be better in the next game – we cannot accept this type of performance.
“We have to walk out there next game, take our chances and try to keep a clean sheet.”
Lee Joe Schembri, once a Lija man himself but one of Qrendi’s goal-scorers on the day with a stunning second half shot, said it was an emotional experience for him.
“Scoring today was a very emotional thing for me. Not because it was against Lija, I have a lot of love for them as I believe it was the club which made me the kind of player I am today. They gave me a great opportunity, especially coach Joseph Galea and I’m thankful for that,” Schembri explained.
“But the goal was important because we were behind twice and my goal was a boost for us to push harder and eventually the third goal came as well.
“This week was crucial for us, especially after the Mqabba game (last week). It was important both because of the points and also because it’s a derby – Qrendi supporters love that match.
“Lija have a strong team and as underdogs, our fighting spirit was incredible.”
Lija got things going early as Temile benefitted from a misplaced pass in defence and curled a shot into the bottom corner, firing the team ahead after just three minutes.
Qrendi responded with an effort of their own soon after but the Reds looked the better side.
Qrendi got a major confidence boost on the half hour as Lija custodian Luke Bonnici failed to hold the ball with Jonatan Silveira brushing the ball into space and hitting it into the net from a tight angle to equalise.
Both teams looked hungry for more in the second half as they replicated the intensity showed in the first 45 minutes.
Similarly to the first half, Lija went ahead again immediately.
Kabelo Seakanyeng fired a swift free-kick which was pushed away by Qrendi goalkeeper Dunstan Zarb. However, the ball stayed in play and Temile was able to reach it and hit a cross which Leon Muscat rose above all to meet and head home.
Zarb was tested a number of times again but on a Greens surge forward on the hour, it was Schembri who, from an unmarked position just outside the area, hit a pinpoint strike straight into the top corner.
Fighting spirit among the Qrendi camp was now at a high and they made it count right at the end as Dhonatan Santos Da Hora raced past defenders to meet a long-ball and hit the team’s winner past Bonnici.
QRENDI: D. Zarb, D. Micallef, L. Martinelli, A. Agius, D. Azzopardi (85 D. Zarb), C. Camilleri, S. Perdomo, L. Schembri, A. Nilsson, J. Silveira (46 D. Santos Da
Hora).
LIJA: L. Bonnici, A. White, L. Muscat, C. Cassar (73 D. Scerri), M. Clinch, C. Giordimaina, R. Fenech (87 G. Borg), A. Galea (25 H. Wood), C. Gauci, K. Seakanyeng, F. Temile.
Referee: Darryl Agius
Best Player: Frank Temile (Lija Athletic).
SUMMARIES
NAXXAR LIONS 2
ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS 2
NAXXAR: O. Borg, A. Azzopardi, B. Essel, R. Cassar, M. Fenech (90 J. Camilleri), J. Sciberras, M. Mifsud, J. Debono, J. Ellul, G. Carrara, E. Farias.
ŻEJTUN: C. Cassar, K. Farrugia, C. Grech, J. Busuttil, A. Mizzi (65 B. Farrugia), N. Tabone, D. Agius, M. Pereira, J. Suda, R. Nascimento (77 R. Spiteri), J. Ogunuppe (68 A. Carabott).
Referee: Alex Johnson
Scorers: Debono (N) 11; Nascimento (Ż) 41; Farias (N) 83; Grech (Ż) Grech.
ST ANDREWS 6
ST GEORGE’S 1
ST ANDREWS: N. Grima, I. Azzopardi, M. Bartolo, M. D’Alessandro (74 J. Sixsmith), A. Chibueze, J. Farrugia, L. Borg, N. Bradshaw (74 M. Veselji), D. Jackson, K. Reid (74 M. Muscat), A. Borg Olivier.
ST. GEORGE’S: J. Azzopardi (51 D. Buttigieg), A. Gili, R. Villada, A. Marshall (69 G. Carabott), J. Grech, G. D’Amato, C. Cassar, M. Uritani, M. Mentosa, L. Bonett, D. Caruana.
Referee: Massimo Axisa
Scorers: Caruana (SG) 12; Farrugia (SA) 31 pen.; Borg 34; Reid 44, 60; Bradshaw 64; Veselji 85.
ŻEBBUĠ RANGERS 0
FGURA UNITED 1
ŻEBBUĠ: M. Grech, C. Brincat, D. Fava, G. Gesualdi (44 S. Darmanin), R. Vella, N. Ojuola, S. Buhagiar, J. Farrugia (59 W. Borg), A. Azzopardi, L. Chiedozie, S. Nanapere (71 M. Fagbeja).
FGURA: B. Bartolo, J. Stensen, C. Gandini, J. Vella, J. Barbara, O. Mifsud, S. Borg, A. Toncheff, G. Martin (67 S. Abela), G. Galea (82 T. Grech), G. Ferreira (74 D. Cartella).
Referee: Ezekiel Barbara
Scorer: Martin (F) 40.
QORMI 0
VITTORIOSA STARS 0
(abd after 47 min due to lighting problems; to resume on Sunday)
QORMI: J. Azzopardi, A. Abela, R. Mandic, A. Cassar, N. Ghio, G. Sammut, C. Farrugia, L. Farrugia, N. Borg, M. Bustos, R. Santos Silva.
VITTORIOSA: D. Bugeja, J. Briffa, C. Spiteri, A. Galea (31 J. Pace), K. Vella, S. Grech (46 O. Guerrero), D. Grima, G. Sultana, N. Mclaren (46 D. Tabone), L. Barbosa, R. Farias.
Referee: Daniel Casha.
PEMBROKE ATLETA 2
MQABBA 1
PEMBROKE: P. Schranz, A. Vujovic, G. Azzopardi, N. Frendo, A. Sultana (86 N. Grech), T. Fenech, M. Zarb, P. Santos, Y. Tonna (66 K. Frendo), J.P. Mifsud Triganza, L. Mijic (56 D. Isakovic).
MQABBA: F. Tabone, M. Caruana, J. Micallef, N. Micallef (46 N. Dia), D. Micallef, K. Magro, B. Grech, A. Ferreira, P. Chimezie, S. Kanayama, F. Zammit.
Referee: Shaun Calleja
Scorers: Mifsud Triganza (P) 11; Frendo (P) 33; Ferreira (M) 61.
PIETÀ HOTSPURS 1 SWIEQI UNITED 1
PIETÀ: J. Chircop St. John, T. Bartolo, Q. Bregman, S. Mizzi, D. Vukovic, C. Gauci (58 C. Ze Lucas), N. Pace Cocks, N. Pisani, K. Amehi, J. Scicluna (85 J. Delmar), J. Ghio (84 K. Mifsud).
SWIEQI: C. Abdilla, J. Azzopardi, S. Bugeja, M. Ivanovic, K. Sultana, K. Muscat, M. Farrugia, L. Grech (78 R. Taliana), A. Schembri Wismayer, B. Albuquerque (66 D. Majkic), I. Salis.
Referee: Philip Farrugia
Scorers: Salis (S) 44; Ze Lucas (P) 71 pen.