Qrendi mentor Renzo Kerr Cumbo lamented his team’ poor application after watching his team suffer a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Pembroke Athleta and miss out on top spot in Division One.

The Greens have now slipped to fifth place in the standings on 20 points, four adrift of leaders Żejtun Corinthians and two adrift of second-placed Lija Athletic. 
Kerr Cumbo admitted his team lacked sharpness. 

“I think in the first half we were superior and could have scored, but we didn’t,” he said.

“In the second half, it was the opposite. We weren’t sharp enough at the back.

“This is a new squad and considering everything, we are fighting for the top spots. For Qrendi this is something positive.”

With the winter break around the corner, Kerr Cumbo will be looking to build on these past four months. 

“This part is tricky in the sense that we need to rest but not lose fitness,” he said.

“We need to polish the squad and do our homework to do better in January. 

“There might also be some additions but we need to focus on what we have.”

Pembroke skipper Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza was one of the game’s protagonists, bagging a brace in the second half. 

The former Birkirkara and Ħamrun Spartans forward admitted that Pembroke’s sharpness in front of goal made all the difference.

“The difference today was that we took the chances we had. The fact that we scored in the first half helped us pace the game more as we planned,” he said.

“Our first goal was the turning point. But my second one was important in my opinion as Qrendi had just scored and so, it took away the boost they had gained.”

While Qrendi looked the more threatening side inside the opening 45 minutes, it was Pembroke who made a mark with the opening goal just before the half-hour mark. 

From a Qrendi action which ended in Jonathan Silveira Da Silva appealing for a penalty after an alleged shove, the Reds made the most of referee Aleksandar Jovanovic’s waves for play-on. 

Luka Mijic failed to meet a low cross from the right in the ensuing attempt, but Pedro Santos made up for it with a shot from outside the box which took a significant deflection and deceived Qrendi shotstopper Dunstan Zarb. 

From then on, it was a battle of the 28s as both Santos and Qrendi’s Alexander Nilsson set out on a mission to score the next goal.

However, it was Mifsud Triganza who got his name on the scoresheet right before the hour mark with an unstoppable effort right inside the area which flew right into the top left corner past Ryan Marmara, roped in at halftime as a replacement to the injured Zarb. 

Qrendi looked to have found a way back into the match with a Nilsson penalty after 66 minutes but their hopes were short-lived as less than a minute later, Pembroke restored their two-goal lead with another Mifsud Triganza strike.

An incisive pass from Dorde Isakovic, who had been introduced just seven minutes earlier, found the Reds forward unmarked, allowing him to slot past Marmara again amid Greens protests for offside.

Santos nearly got his second goal when he beat two defenders and fired a firm shot from afar which was tipped over by Marmara.

Pembroke sealed the points with another classy effort on 77 minutes.

An accurate long ball was met by Mattia Zarb, his speed unmatched by his marker, whose only touch was enough to chip the ball over the onrushing Qrendi goalkeeper. 

SUMMARIES

QRENDI 1
PEMBROKE ATHLETA 4

QRENDI: D. Zarb (46 R. Marmara), S. Schembri, L. Martinelli, E. Vella, B. Muscat, A. Agius, D. Azzopardi (35 A. Curmi), C. Camilleri (46 D. Santos da Hora) J. Silveira, L. Schembri, A. Nilsson.

PEMBROKE: P. Schranz, G. Azzopardi, A. Vujovic, A. Sultana, N. Frendo, T. Fenech, M. Zarb (90 C. Camilleri), P. Santos, Y. Tonna (78 M. Brincat), J.P. Mifsud Triganza, L. Mijic (60 D. Isakovic).

Referee: Aleksandar Jovanovic.

Scorers: Santos (P) 27; Mifsud Triganza (P) 55, 76; Nilsson (Q) 74 pen.; Zarb (P) 78.

Best Player: Pedro Santos (Pembroke Athleta).

SWIEQI UNITED 3
FGURA UNITED 2

SWIEQI: C. Abdilla, K. Muscat, K. Sultana, S. Bugeja, M. Ivanovic, M. Farrugia, A. Schembri Wismayer, S. Gatt Baldacchino (53 D. Zampa), R. Taliana, F. Fernandes (85 M. Albuquerque), I. Salis (63 T. Ayorinde). 

FGURA: L. Moore, P. Chircop, J. Vella, C. Gandini, J. Cassar, S. Abela, S. Borg, A. Toncheff, G. Martin (18 G. Galea), S. Hili, D. Cartella.

Referee: Slobodan Petrovic

Scorers: Vella (F) 16 og; Bugeja (S) 33; Chircop (F) 42 pen.; Hili (F) 73; Ivanovic (S) 90.

NAXXAR LIONS 1
ST GEORGE’S 1

NAXXAR: O. Borg, R. Cassar, B. Essel, M. Fenech, A. Azzopardi (54 J. Ellul), J. Debono, M. Mifsud (73 J. Sciberras), S. Meilak (80 R. Mercieca), D. Falzon, E. Farias, G. Carrara.

ST GEORGE’S: J. Azzopardi, A. Gili, C. Park (85 T. Hiruma), C. Cassar, L. Bonett, G. D’Amato, S. Perdomo, D. Caruana.

Referee: Daniel Casha

Scorers: Farias (N) 79; Hiruma (S) 89.

LIJA ATHLETIC 0
ST ANDREWS 1

LIJA: L. Bonnici, C. Cassar, L. Muscat, C. Giordimaina, A. White, D. Scerri, C. Gauci, J. Wells (61 H. Wood), K. Seakanyeng, A. Galea (61 G. Borg), E. Beu (67 A. Azzopardi).

ST ANDREWS: N. Grima, I. Azzopardi, M. D’Alessandro, M. Bartolo, W. Camilleri, N. Bradshaw, J. Farrugia, D. Jackson, M. Veselji (84 L. Borg), A. Borg Olivier, K. Reid.

Referee: Ezekiel Barbara.

Scorer:  Veselji (S) 33.

Red card: Azzopardi (S) 90.

QORMI 3
MQABBA 0

QORMI: J. Azzopardi, A. Abela, F. Gusman, A. Cassar, C. Farrugia (64 L. Farrugia), N. Ghio, M. Borg (78 I. Mizzi), F. Gnindokponou, R. Santos Silva, C. Matombo (75 B. Grech), T. Gusman.

MQABBA: F. Tabone, M. Caruana, J. Micallef, N. Micallef (79 L. Farrugia), K. Camilleri, K. Magro, D. Micallef, Y. Omuro (68 A. Makela), I. Margarit (27 P. Chimezie), A. Ferreira, F. Zammit.

Referee: Andrea Sciriha.

Scorers: Gusman (Q) 14, 66, 74.

Red cards: Camilleri (M) 33; Magro (M) 47.

PIETÀ HOTSPURS 0
ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS 1

PIETÀ: J. Chircop St John, D. Vukovic, Q. Bregman, J. Irimiya, S. Mizzi, C. Gauci (62 C. Bouvet), J. Ghio (80 T. Bartolo), N. Pace Cocks, N. Pisani (86 J. Bone), J. Scicluna, C. Ze Lucas.

ŻEJTUN: C. Cassar, L. Cassar Jackson, K. Farrugia, J. Busuttil, N. Tabone, D. Agius, M. Pereira (62 D. Sowatey), J. Suda, A. Carabott (57 G. Azzopardi), J. Ogunuppe, R. Nascimento (62 R. Mariaga).

Referee: Daniel Portelli.

Scorer: Ogunuppe (Ż) 32.

Red cards: Tabone (Ż) 51; Scicluna (P) 66.

ŻEBBUĠ RANGERS 1
VITTORIOSA STARS 1

ŻEBBUĠ: M. Grech, C. Brincat, D. Fava, G. Gesualdi, R. Vella, R. Zammit, J. Farrugia (59 S. Buhagiar), W. Borg (90 O. Busuttil), N. Ojuola (59 S. Darmanin), M. Fagbeja, S. Nanapere

VITTORIOSA: M. Moyano, C. Spiteri, J. Briffa, A. Galea (87 J. Pace), O. Sidibe (75 D. Tabone), K. Vella, L. Casha, G. Sultana, I. Curmi (85 J. Attard), O. Guerrero, K. Abela.

Referee: Mario Apap

Scorers: Buhagiar (Ż) 62; Vella (V) 64.