LIJA ATHLETIC 4
ŻEBBUĠ RANGERS 2
Free-scoring winger Erjon Beu said that Lija Athletic’s sparkling performance against Żebbuġ Rangers was brought about by the players’ anguish after a difficult three weeks.
Beu, who is currently the Division’s leading scorer, fired a second half hat-trick in their 4-2 victory over the Rangers that helped his team to return to the top of the standings and regain control in this season’s promotion race.
“The performance today came out of the past three weeks,” Beu told the Times of Malta.
“We had a good start for the first seven games but these three weeks have been rough for us.
“It was kind of worrying for the team, but the guys were working harder, we had to step up our game to keep on going. We accumulated all that anger that we had from previous games and transformed it into positive energy that helped us produce such an excellent display.”
While the Albanian forward put in a shift in attack, it was custodian Luke Bonnici who kept the Greens from taking control with a fantastic stop from the penalty spot in the opening 45 minutes.
“We knew that if we stay in the game, eventually we’re going to score and every team knows that now,” Beu said.
“The performance looked clear that we went for the win, not because we are first, but because we want to beat any doubts. To score four goals against Żebbuġ is not an easy task.”
Reds mentor Joseph Galea also highlighted this.
“Żebbuġ have one of the best defences while we have one of the best attacks. The penalty episode was the turning point for me because even though Erjon’s first goal might have been a bit lucky, we deserved to win with our second-half performance,” he said.
Asked about having to shift positions for this fixture, notably pushing Botswana international Kabelo Seakanyeng further upfront, Galea admitted that the team’s injuries have forced him to adapt the squad.
“We’ve got four long-term injuries and in January, we’re going to have to try to get another striker, especially because (Hermes) Palomino is out until the end of the season for sure,” he explained.
Lija made their intentions clear from the start with Seakanyeng, who played a part in his country’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign a few weeks ago against Algeria and Zimbabwe, had his shot deflected after just two minutes.
Żebbuġ made their voice heard after 15 minutes when a longball fell ahead of Saturday Nanapere, whose volley from close range was controlled by Bonnici.
Lija’s skipper saved the day ten minutes later as after Clayton Giordimaina was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, Bonnici pushed Randall Vella’s penalty onto the upright.
While the first half was scoreless, the second was indeed a goal-fest. The Reds forged ahead just four minutes after the restart with an unexpected cross-shot by Beu from the right flank, stunning Greens goalkeeper Matthew Grech as it hit the top corner.
“It works because we won many corners with cross-shots like that. I was a bit lucky that it went into the top corner this time but I’m happy it helped the team go forward,” Beu admitted.
Lija had the chance to make it two from another Beu cross on 70 minutes but Carl Cassar missed in front of the gaping goal. He made up for it five minutes later however, as after Seakanyeng pressured Grech into a blunder after a back-pass, Cassar laid it off to Beu to tap in his second.
The Lija talisman grabbed his hat-trick 10 minutes from time after Seakanyeng was hacked inside the area and Beu made no mistake to put the side further ahead.
From then on it looked like a pinball game as Żebbuġ substitute Ryan Cutajar got a goal back on 83 minutes only for the Greens to concede again from the restart with a near identical goal from Aiden Galea.
Nanapere closed off the scoring in injury time with a swift fake to which both Leon Muscat and Bonnici overcommitted enough to give the Rangers forward an open goal.
LIJA: L. Bonnici, A. White, C. Giordimaina, L. Muscat, C. Cassar (84 L. Pisani), D. Scerri, C. Gauci, A. Galea (87 A. Azzopardi), J. Wells, K. Seakanyeng (89 L. Sacco), E. Beu.
ŻEBBUĠ: M. Grech, C. Brincat (60 R. Cutajar), R. Vella, J. Farrugia, W. Borg, R. Zammit, S. Buhagiar, N. Ojuola, S. Darmanin (86 K. Tanti), M. Fagbeja, S. Nanapere.
Referee: Stefan Pace.
Scorers: Beu (L) 79, 75, 81 pen.; Cutajar (Ż) 83; Galea (L) 84; Nanapere (Ż) 90.
Best Player: Erjon Beu (Lija Athletic).
SUMMARIES
ST GEORGE’S 0
SWIEQI UNITED 4
ST GEORGE’S: J. Azzopardi, J. Grech, A. Hili, A. Marshall, G. D’Amato, J. Dalli, L. Bonnett (71 A. Mallia), C. Cassar, M. Uritani (46 T. Hiruma), S. Perdomo, D. Caruana.
SWIEQI: C. Abdilla, J. Azzopardi, M. Ivanovic, D. Borg, S. Bugeja, K. Muscat, M. Farrugia, S. Baldacchino Gatt (70 K. Sultana), L. Zammit (21 R. Taliana), I. Salis (62 T. Ayorinde), F. Fernandes.
Referee: Emanuel Grech
Scorers: Salis (SU) 34; Fernandes (SU) 66, 93; Taliana (SU) 90.
Red card: Marshall (SG) 61.
MQABBA 2
ST ANDREWS 4
MQABBA: D. Carabott, M. Caruana, J. Micallef, N. Micallef, K. Camilleri, K. Xeureb, D. Micallef, Y. Omuro, I. Margarit (81 P. Chimezie), A. Ferreira, F. Zammit.
ST ANDREWS: N. Grima, I. Azzopardi, M. D’Alessandro, M. Bartolo, G. Muscat, J. Farrugia, N. Bradshaw (72 J. Sixsmith), L. Borg (64 M. Veselji), D. Jackson, K. Reid, A. Borg Olivier.
Referee: Sandro Spiteri
Scorers: Zammit (M) 66; Veselji (S) 78; Ferreira (M) 83.
PEMBROKE ATHLETA 5
QORMI 2
PEMBROKE ATHLETA: P. Schranz, N. Grech, A. Vujovic, A. Sultana (60 G. Azzopardi), M. Brincat (66 M. Zarb), T. Fenech, N. Frendo, Y. Tonna, P. Santos, JP Mifsud Triganza, L. Mijic (82)
QORMI: J. Azzopardi, A. Abela, A. Cassar (77 N. Gauci), C. Farrugia (77 G. Sammut), F. Gusman, N. Ghio, M. Borg, B. Grech (71 L. Farrugia), F. Gnindokponou, C. Matombo, T. Gusman.
Referee: Alex Johnson
Scorers: Gusman (Q) 16, 45; Triganza (P) 39, 73 pen.; Mijic (P) 52; Zarb (P) 75; Santos (P) 90 pen.
QRENDI 3
PIETÀ HOTSPURS 1
QRENDI: D. Zarb, L. Martinelli, E. Vella, S. Radovanovic, B. Muscat (72 A. Curmi), A. Agius, D. Azzopardi, C. Camilleri (81 D. Sammut), L. Schembri, A. Nilsson, D. Santos.
PIETÀ: M. Chetcuti, S. Bartolo, Q. Bregman, I. Jalo, D. Vukovic, N. Pace Cocks, C. Gauci (66 C. Bouvet), J. Scicluna (79 J. Delmar), N. Pisani (83 L. Mckay), C. Ze Lucas, J. Ghio.
Referee: Darryl Agius
Scorers: Ze Lucas (P) 14; Jalo (P) 38og; Nilsson (Q) 47, 89.
VITTORIOSA STARS 0
NAXXAR LIONS 2
VITTORIOSA: M. Moyano, C. Spiteri, J. Briffa, O. Sidibe, K. Vella,
G. Sultana, D. Tabone, I. Curmi (65 M. Lamlun), K. Abela (44 I. Abela), J. Attard (81 L. Casha), O. Guerrero.
NAXXAR: O. Borg, R. Cassar, B. Essel, M. Fenech, A. Azzopardi, M. Mifsud, J. Debono (83 J. Ellul), S. Meilak, G. Carrara, D. Falzon, E. Farias.
Referee: Massimo Axisa
Scorers: Farias (N) 23; Ellul (N) 90.
FGURA UNITED 0
ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS 3
FGURA: L. Moore, P. Chircop, J. Vella, C. Gandini (65 D. Cartella), J. Stensen, J. Barbara, T. Grech (46 S. Hili), C. Valero, G. Martin, G. Galea (65 S. Abela), A. Toncheff.
ŻEJTUN: C. Cassar, L. Cassar Jackson, J. Busuttil, K. Farrugia, D. Agius, A. Mizzi, N. Tabone (71 G. Azzopardi), R. Mariaga (63 A. Carabott), J. Suda, R. Nascimento, J. Ogunuppe (80 R. Spiteri).
Referee: Glen Tonna
Scorers: Barbara (F) 15 og; Nascimento (Ż) 32, 34.