FLORIANA 2

Busuttil 27, Keqi 53

TARXIEN RAINBOWS 1

Murillo 24

League leaders Floriana yesterday had to bank on their character and eventually on their flourishing skills to overcome the pressure after going in arrears and bag three valuable points at the expense of dangerous customers Tarxien.

Floriana were legitimate winners. However, Tarxien should be given credit for a sound collective performance which belies their position in the standings.

A tottering take-off was completely shoveled aside and in the second half showed some crisp football helped them master their opponents to keep the pace at the top of the table.

The architects of the Greens’ victory were once again Jurgen Pisani who marshalled the defence, as Diego Venancio asserted their superiority on the field of play. Chief striker Kristian Keqi supplied his team with diamond-cutting edge while the advanced Jose Arias provided the useful link in the build-up stages.

All the others responded well to nullify the efforts of Tarxien Rainbows minus the services of Daniel Zerafa and with the addition of newcomers Nevin Portelli and Maniel Torres Murillo.

Tiago Fonesca and Kristian Keqi spearheaded the Greens’ striking line which, at times, assumed a trident formation with the incursions of Jan Busuttil.

Their early pressure was unproductive and Floriana paid dearly for that, when they conceded a goal midway through the first half. This was a gift from Ini Akpan who allowed the ball to trickle from his hands on a central shot from Manuel Torres Murillo.

The reaction from the Greens was immediate. It was Jan Busuttil who exploited his dead ball skills. His free-kick took a deflection to end beyond Rudy Briffa’s reach and into the net.

Floriana started to dominate the proceedings, with Kristian Keqi hitting both posts with a single shot on 36 minutes, they could not find a way through the Rainbows’ stubborn resistance.

But all that changed seven minutes after the break when the Albanian striker gave his team the lead. He ran on to a perfect Diego Venancio cross to head the ball past Briffa.

That was further glee for the now rampant Floriana. Jose Arias’s service to Keqi whose speed enabled him to elude a defender before unleashing a low angled shot just off the far post.

The emphasis from Floriana was now to administer their slim margin even if Venancio pounced on a through ball by Keqi to hit low and wide. That mattered little as the league leaders were high and dry.

Floriana's Kristian Keqi was named BOV Player of the match. 

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore

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