Spartans weather the storm to net first win
Floriana 1Hamrun Spartans 3\nHamrun Spartans went through a rollercoaster ride of emotions on their way to recording their first victory since their return to big time. Surging into a two-goal lead in the last five minutes of a largely mediocre first...
Floriana 1
Hamrun Spartans 3
\nHamrun Spartans went through a rollercoaster ride of emotions on their way to recording their first victory since their return to big time.
Surging into a two-goal lead in the last five minutes of a largely mediocre first half, the Spartans looked on the brink of collapse when Floriana's startling fightback saw them narrowing the deficit to one goal early in the second half.
Desperate to avoid their fourth defeat of the season, Floriana stuck to their carefree attacking approach in the second half but the Spartans dug in before finding the killer blow 13 minutes from time.
The action-packed second half of yesterday's clash between these early strugglers was in marked contrast to the disappointing first.
Early in the game, Spartans' striker Gaetan Spiteri hit a first-time volley towards goal but his effort was too central to unnerve David Farrugia in the Floriana goal.
The young goalie was named on Floriana's starting grid by stand-in coach Jan Artz who elected to leave Simon Agius on the bench.
Ian Azzopardi also made a welcome comeback to competitive football after recovering from a long-term injury. Azzopardi replaced Adamo Diao in defence, the Senegalese defender forced out of this important fixture by a one-match ban following his red card the previous Saturday.
Nigerian striker Anthony EviParker was also dropped from the first team in favour of Ryan Darmanin.
Six minutes into the game, Floriana recorded their first notable scoring chance. Trevor Cilia swung over a dangerous cross from a corner and the stretching Riad-Mynel Gango-Rtsa rolled the ball towards goal only for Ivan Zammit to deflect the ball away for a corner.
Veteran defender Zammit yesterday made his first start for Hamrun since joining them on loan from Marsaxlokk last month.
Michael Degiorgio, the Hamrun coach, also promoted Nigerian forward Eric Chidi Nwankwo to the first team.
The tedium that reigned in the first half hour of this showed why these two teams are languishing in the bottom segment of the standings.
As the first half gained momentum, Hamrun began to show themselves more often in the Floriana half. Nine minutes from half-time, Farrugia did well to tip away a menacing free-kick from the returning Ryan Fenech.
Moments later, a cross-shot from Kevin Borg caressed the woodwork.
Floriana's failure to heed the alarm signals was exploited by the Spartans who forged ahead five minutes from half-time.
A swift one-two between their new Nigerian signings Nwankwo and Maczerob Okoro saw the latter sprinting his way into the box before unleashing an angled drive past Farrugia.
In the dying moments of the first half, Cilia could have redressed the imbalance but he dragged a shot wide of the far post after being sent clear by Adrian Mifsud.
Floriana's predicament worsened on the stoke of half-time when Hamrun doubled their lead. Cilia made a hash of a clearance when heading the ball backwards where the tireless Spiteri anticipated the desperate tackles of two Floriana defenders to bury the ball home.
Manolito Micallef, a first-half substitute for the injured Christian Cassar, was unlucky not to reduce the arrears for Floriana when his swirling shot from the edge of the area hit the outside of the far post.
Two minutes into the second half, Jason Cordina, the Hamrun goalkeeper, foiled the Greens when palming away Mauro Brincat's dipping free-kick.
At half-time, Artz removed defender Mario Caruana and brought on EviParker to add more weight to his forward line.
In the first six minutes of the second period, Floriana created more chances than they had throughout an entire half.
Hamrun defender Steve Sadowski conserved his team's two-goal lead when keeping out Ryan Darmanin's header from Brincat's corner.
With Floriana now pushing forward in numbers, the Spartans endured a nervy opening to the second half. Cordina saved another header from Darmanin but 12 minutes after the restart, the Greens grabbed a lifeline when Micallef nodded the ball over the Spartans goalkeeper after Brincat's floating cross from a free-kick was headed on by EviParker.
Floriana's strong fightback helped to liven up proceedings as the two teams now flung themselves at each other with abandon.
The Greens had the ball in the net 19 minutes from time but Darmanin's effort was invalidated for the striker's offside position.
Hamrun had been penned in their own half for most of the second half but in arguably their first significant attacking foray, they regained their two-goal lead and made sure of the points.
A long ball from the incoming Evano Briffa by-passed the spread-eagled Floriana defence, leaving the way clear for Nwankwo to run impeded towards goal and hammer the ball home after rounding Farrugia.
In stoppage time, Cordina kept his side's lead intact when blocking with his feet a point-blank effort by Micallef.
Floriana: D. Farrugia-5.5, M. Caruana-5 ('46 A. EviParker-6), R.M. Gango-Rtsa-6.5, I. Azzopardi-6, T. Cilia-6, K. Formosa-6, I. Ciantar-6, C. Cassar-5 ('37 M. Micallef-7), M. Brin-cat-7, A. Mifsud-7, R. Darmanin-6.5.
Hamrun: J. Cordina-7, I. Zammit-6, J. Debattista-6, P. Ndubisi Ndah-6.5, S. Sadowski-6.5, J. Magri Overend-6.5 ('74 E. Briffa-6.5), K. Borg-7, M.Okoro-7, R. Fenech-6 ('79 D. Galea), G. Spiteri-6.5 ('84 S. Sultana), E. Nwankwo-6.
Referee: Alan Mario Sant.
Scorers: Okoro 40; Spiteri 45; Micallef 57; Nwankwo 77.
Yellow Cards: Magri Overend; Gango-Rtsa; Zammit; Borg.
BoV Player of the Match: Maczerob Okoro (Hamrun).