ST GEORGE’S 1
FGURA UNITED 1
The 2019-20 First Division championship has so far been one roller-coaster ride for the majority of teams, having to keep their wits about them, especially when facing lower-ranked teams.
In what was a clash of heads at the bottom of the table, a dominant St George’s side looked destined to take their third win of the season on Sunday at the Centenary Stadium, but they missed out after Fgura United got a well-deserved equaliser at the death.
Last weekend’s fixture was also a warm-up for Cospicua-born Lomar Cutajar who was included in the Malta Under-21 provisional squad for their upcoming qualifier against Denmark.
Cutajar, who was in fact the youngest player to start on Sunday at just 20 years old, told the Times of Malta that his plan now was to take on the challenge at hand and concentrate on making the final squad.
“There’s still work to do. If I don’t make it, it would count as experience for me. But if I get chosen, I will represent my country,” Cutajar said, “To represent your country is one of the greatest things for me.”
While being one of the new faces in Silvio Vella’s squad, the St. George’s skipper is also the only player from the division to be called up.
“I’m happy to have been chosen because it means (the national team) recognises the First Division as well,” Cutajar admitted.
“It gives me a lot of courage. I always enjoy going through things step by step. When I moved from playing at Floriana to my hometown, we were in the Second Division and then we climbed to the First Division. Now there’s this opportunity.”
Cutajar praised his side’s performance but admitted the match deserved to finish in a draw.
“It was a great game, but I think they deserved a point too,” he said.
Sunday’s match was characterised by two great team goals, both in the second half. This comes as a valid indication of how little substance there was during the first 45 minutes.
Blues custodian Julian Azzopardi committed himself to just one save amid a number of shots going wide from outside the area. On the other end, the Reds defence orchestrated a compact showing, restricting their opponents to outside the penalty area.
The Cottonera side, despite holding possession, looked an unfinished product in their attack and provided very little threat.
Similarly to Fgura, St George’s resorted to catapulting shots from afar with nothing to show for their efforts at the break.
The second half proved to be an entirely different story. Both sides looked hungry to make their mark and it was St. George’s who forged ahead first on 52 minutes after Sebastian Perdomo surged forward on the counter, laying the ball off to Dylan Caruana on the left.
Caruana gave his supplier enough chance to race into the box and head down an incisive cross, firing into the net with his second touch.
The Reds were not to be beaten however, as on the hour they made two changes which proved crucial to them getting an equaliser nine minutes from time.
Dennis Cartella and Giovanni Galea replaced Carlos Valero and Sergio Hili respectively and both made an immediate impact on proceedings.
Most of all was Cartella, who in the space of 15 minutes fired in two crosses, one winning a corner and another going straight into the path of Philip Chircop who fired a cannon of a shot from range into the bottom right corner of the Blues’ goal to make it all square.
ST GEORGE’S: J. Azzopardi, L. Cutajar, J. Grech, A. Hili, A. Marshall, G. D’Amato, J. Dalli (73 M. Uritani), C. Cassar, L. Bonett, S. Perdomo, D. Caruana.
FGURA: L. Moore, P. Chircop (89 T. Grech), J. Vella, C. Gandini, J. Stensen, J. Barbara, S. Borg, A. Toncheff, C. Valero (68 D. Cartella), S. Hili (73 G. Galea), G. Martin.
Referee: Darryl Agius.
Scorers: Perdomo (SG) 52; Chircop (F) 81.
Best Player: Sebastian Perdomo (St George’s).
SUMMARIES
QRENDI 1
ST ANDREWS 2
QRENDI: D. Zarb, S. Schembri, L. Martinelli, E. Vella, B. Muscat (82 D. Sammut), A. Agius (72 A. Curmi), D. Azzopardi, C. Camilleri, D. Santos da Hora, A. Nilsson, J. Silveira.
ST ANDREWS: N. Grima, I. Azzopardi, M. Bartolo, G. Muscat, N. Bradshaw, W. Camilleri, J. Farrugia, L. Borg, D. Jackson, M. Veselji, A. Borg Olivier (69 J. Sixsmith).
Referee: Andrea Sciriha
Scorers: Santos da Hora (Q) 57 pen.; Jackson (SA) 71; Farrugia (SA) 76.
QORMI 3
PIETÀ HOTSPURS 3
QORMI: J. Azzopardi, A. Abela, A. Cassar, F. Gusman, J. Lokando, N. Ghio, F. Gnindokponou (69 R. Santos Silva), B. Grech (81 L. Farrugia), M. Borg, C. Matombo, T. Gusman.
PIETA‘: M. Chetcuti, T. Bartolo, D. Vukovic, L. Adamec, Q. Bregman (85 S. Mizzi), J. Irimiya (58 K. Mifsud), N. Pisani, J. Ghio, J. Scicluna, C. Bouvet (88 J. Delmar), C. Ze Lucas.
Referee: Sandro Spiteri
Scorers: Lokando (Q) 18 pen.; Gnindokponou (Q) 22; Ze Lucas (P) 30, 39; Gusman (Q) 45; Pisani (P) 69.
MQABBA 0
NAXXAR LIONS 2
MQABBA: F. Tabone, K. Camilleri (79 L. Farrugia), M. Caruana, J. Micallef, N. Micallef, J. Spiteri (65 K. Xuereb), K. Magro, D. Micallef, Y. Omuro (46 A. Ferreira), A. Makela, P. Chimezie.
NAXXAR: O. Borg, J. Sciberras (78 J. Ellul), B. Essel, R. Cassr, M. Fenech, M. Mifsud, S. Meilak, G. Carrara (87 R. Mercieca), J. Debono, D. Falzon (78 A. Azzopardi), E. Farias.
Referee: Fyodor Zammit
Scorers: Debono 42; Carrara 74.
VITTORIOSA STARS 1
ŻEJTUN CORINTHIANS 3
VITTORIOSA: Z. Valletta, C. Spiteri (63 I. Curmi), O. Sidibe, J. Briffa, A. Galea, J. Pace (85 A. Ellul), M. Lamlun (63 K. Abela), D. Tabone, L. Casha, R. Farias, O. Guerrero.
ŻEJTUN: C. Cassar, L. Cassar Jackson, K. Farrugia, J. Busuttil, N. Tabone, D. Agius, M. Pereira, J. Suda (88 G. Azzopardi), A. Carabott (66 J. Galea), D. Ribeiro (75 R. Mariaga), J. Ogonuppe.
Referee: Philip Farrugia
Scorers: Suda (Ż) 11, 70; Ribeiro (Ż) 58; Guerrero (V) 79.
PEMBROKE ATHLETA 0
ŻEBBUĠ RANGERS 4
PEMBROKE: P. Schranz, Y. Shaba (79 L. Mijic) A. Vujovic, A. Sultana, G. Azzopardi, M. Brincat, T. Fenech, Y. Tonna, M. Zarb (61 N. Frendo), P. Santos, JP Mifsud Triganza (79 T. Muscat).
ŻEBBUĠ: M. Grech, C. Brincat, R. Vella, D. Fava, R. Zammit, G. Gesualdi, S. Buhagiar (88 K. Tanti), N. Ojuola, W. Borg (76 J. Farrugia), S. Nanapere (90 O. Busuttil), F. Muda.
Referee: Alex Johnson
Scorers: N. Ojuola (Ż) 55; Nanapere (Ż) 69, 78, 88.
LIJA ATHLETIC 2
SWIEQI UNITED 2
LIJA: L. Bonnici, C. Cassar, M. Clinch, C. Giordimaina, L. Muscat, C. Gauci, A. Galea (77 L. Pisani), K. Seakanyeng, A. Azzopardi (63 D. Scerri), E. Beu, H. Palomino (83 H. Wood).
SWIEQI: E. Gatt, J. Azzopardi, K. Sultana, S. Bugeja, L. Grech (71 A. Schembri Wismayer), D. Borg, R. Taliana, G. Bugeja, M. Albuquerque (81 M. Ivanovic), T. Ayorinde (59 I. Salis), F. Fernandes.
Referee: Ezekiel Barbara
Scorers: Beu (L) 3; Taliana (S) 38; Muscat (L); Bugeja (S) 70.
Red card: Clinch (L) 76.