Birkirkara Seal The First Trophy Of The Season

Birkirkara came back to a 2-1 victory over Swieqi United, to claim a record-equalling seventh overall Super Cup, in front of a record domestic crowd for a women’s football match of 671 attendees. Salamatu Abdulai scored the opener for Swieqi United, before Arianna Del Moral secured the win for Birkirkara. Dorianne Theuma was denied by the crossbar late in the match. Full report with post-match comments from the coaches, Stephania Farrugia and Arianna Del Moral.

Team Selections

Birkirkara’s Jose Borg started with Janice Xuereb in goal, fronted by a defensive partnership between captain Stephania Farrugia and Valentina Rapa. Alishia Sultana and Ann-Marie Said were the chosen full-backs. Caitlin Rogers protected the defence, with Veronique Mifsud and Marta Grosso orchestrating further forward. Arianna Del Moral and Raina Giusti provided the width to Francesca Chircop in attack.

Meanwhile, Saviour Darmanin made limited changes to the team that faced Hibernians over the weekend. Patricia Araujo started in goal, while trusting the defensive partnership of Rafanny Abache Mendoza and Tammy Falzon in the centre, with Emma Xuereb and Jade Schembri providing the width. Jessica Dimech continued to support Shona Zammit. Kaysia Micallef was bumped into the starting eleven in replacement of Karima Abdulai, while Mariah Sciberras retained her place on the flanks. Salamatu Abdulai supported captain Dorianne Theuma who led the forward line.

A Short-Lived Lead

The game unfolded in front of a record attendance for a domestic competitive fixture as a total of 671 supporters filed into the Centenary Stadium. With a band playing and both supporters in full voice, it was Birkirkara who first threatened five minutes into it. Alishia Sultana darted up the wing and picked out Veronique Mifsud, whose header flew just wide of the post.

Swieqi United’s responsive attempt to release Salamatu Abdulai behind the defence was read by Janice Xuereb, who was quickly off her line to collect. The Owls’ Mariah Sciberras also won a corner for the team, but Janice Xuereb got something on Dorianne Theuma’s delivery, before Birkirkara managed the clearance.

Having dealt their first blows, the two appeared to settle more into possession. Raina Giusti fired a pass into Francesca Chircop but she was quickly crowded out. Meanwhile, Swieqi United started to pick out the spaces in midfield, with Shona Zammit doing it effectively to stretch the play toward the right wing. Jade Schembri delivered toward Kaysia Micallef but her header flew wide.

Jessica Dimech made a crucial interception to deny Alishia Sultana from finding Raina Giusti, who was primed for the shot in the box toward the 20th minute. Swieqi United’s number five also tried to get things going in attack with an attempt to release Salamatu Abdulai behind the defence. However, Janice Xuereb was off her line once more.

By this point, Salamatu Abdulai fell deeper into midfield, with Dorianne Theuma leading the line of attack. Having found some space, the veteran released a shot from distance but was wide of the mark. The two worked to good effect to allow the side to break the deadlock two minutes shy of the half-hour mark. Kaysia Micallef won back possession before finding Dorianne Theuma. She played a weighted ball into Salamatu Abdulai who overlapped and carried into space, before placing into the top right corner to delight of the Swieqi United fans.

However, Birkirkara were quick to respond and in fact the lead lasted just over a minute. Veronique Mifsud released Arianna Del Moral, who drifted inside and placed into the net to get her side level. Off the pitch, Birkirkara’s supporters responded too, making sure that their counterparts heard just how loud they could be.

Although Veronique Mifsud managed to fire a shot later in the half, Swieqi United still appeared to be the more settled in attack from the two as the first forty-five minutes drew to a close. Kaysia Micallef grew in confidence, and appeared to be have unleashed her team into space after dribbling past two players. However, her attempt to switch play to Shona Zammit was overcooked. The two combined with Dorianne Theuma to work out another opportunity just before the half-time whistle, but the youngster scooped the strike over the bar.

Half-Time Score: Birkirkara 1 – 1 Swieqi United

Birkirkara Turn Up The Heat

Jose’ Borg played out a surprise card by bringing Sara Saliba on from the bench in replacement of Francesca Chircop at half-time. The youngster was a surprise feature on the bench having been touted for a move to Italian outfit Pomiligiano earlier in the summer.

She appeared to fit just like a glove back into her former team, immediately testing Patricia Araujo with a left-footed effort from outside the box. The goalkeeper parried for a corner, which was worked short, but Swieqi United saw away the threat.

Birkirkara continued to test the Owls’ back-line by pressing high up the pitch, which appeared to rattle Swieqi United, who struggled to regain the momentum they had in the first half. The high-press allowed Caitlin Rogers to fire a shot from distance but it flew over the bar.

With momentum on their side, the Stripes nudged themselves forward from a free-kick which Stephania Farrugia delivered from midfield. Swieqi United struggled to clear the ball effectively, allowing it instead to roll to Arianna Del Moral. Although Jessica Dimech blocked the initial shot, the follow-through snuck into the back of the net, sending the Birkirkara faithful on their feet and into another roar of celebration.

Sara Saliba was brimming with confidence and tried a shot from distance just over the hour mark, which crept just wide. Saviour Darmanin looked to make a switch soon after, bringing on Karima Abdulai in replacement of Mariah Sciberras on the wing.

B’Kara In Game-Management Mode, Swieqi Denied By The Crossbar

As the seventieth minute approached, Birkirkara abandoned the high-press and instead appeared to be happy to try to strike on the counter-attack. The Stripes fashioned a good opening through Sara Saliba who showed good feet to get past her marker at the byline before delivering a low cross to the arriving Marta Grosso. However, Patricia Araujo collected.

With the Stripes focused on staying compact at the back, the onus was on Swieqi United to find the equalising goal. They came closest with a free-kick which Karima Abdulai won on the right wing just outside the penalty box. Dorianne Theuma attempted to curl it into the far corner, but was denied by the crossbar.

As Birkirkara attempted to run down the clock, the fouls piled with Swieqi United getting a few more opportunities. Dorianne Theuma hung-up another free-kick toward Rafanny Abache Mendoza, but she could not head it goalward. The Owls’ captain also delivered a corner toward the six-yard box but Birkirkara’s defence stood strong.

Jose’ Borg brought out the experienced Charlene Zammit and Gabriella Zahra to see out the match, before giving Amelia Vassallo a run out in the final throes, with the substitutions continuing to disrupt any potential momentum. However, the Stripes actually appeared to be set for a late third goal as Ann-Marie Said swiftly converted defence into attack following a Swieqi United free-kick. She launched toward Alishia Sultana who combined with Sara Saliba. However, her forward run was stopped by Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma who tracked back to keep her team in it.

Despite this, Birkirkara saw out the match with the lead intact to defend the Super Cup and in doing so lift the first trophy of the season. It marks the seventh Super Cup title for the Stripes, who equal Hibernians’ record.

Final Score: Birkirkara 2 – 1 Swieqi United

Post-Match Reactions

Swieqi United’s Saviour Darmanin Sums Up The Defeat

Despite the loss, Swieqi United’s Saviour Darmanin recognised his players’ efforts, “The players deserve credit for the courage and hard-work they showed especially in the first-half, where they kept Birkirkara at bay and worked well in attack to find the first goal of the match with good football. We had other chances where perhaps the final pass was not exactly as we needed.”

Speaking about the short-lived lead, Darmanin continued, “Perhaps we did not settle down quickly enough, it was like we were still in that euphoria of scoring the goal. However, then players showed good character to build more toward the end of the first half.”

However, the coach acknowledged that the team struggled to continue in the same vein in the second half, “It appeared that we could not handle the wind factor and started missing simple balls. As Birkirkara started to control possession more, players got more winded by chasing play, which was exacerbated by Birkirkara’s depth on the bench where they also brought on experienced players to see out the match. We had a few chances, considering that Dorianne Theuma was denied by the woodwork and also there were a few headed opportunities which we did not take.”

Darmanin noted the hard-work shown by a number of players, “Today we saw Kaysia Micallef and Tammy Falzon who are still young players but are continuing to show their potential on a bigger stage. Besides them we had a number of veterans, such as Dorianne Theuma, who worked very hard for the team.”

Summing up the final, Darmanin said, “We certainly have a good basis on which to build on, considering that we had not yet conceded a goal against Birkirkara this year. However, today Birkirkara’s strength in depth showed when you see players such as the experienced Charlene Zammit coming on from the bench, while also another talented young player in Sara Saliba. I congratulate Birkirkara on this success, while we will keep building toward our own.”

Birkirkara’s Jose Borg, Arianna Del Moral & Stephania Farrugia

Jose’ Borg summed up the importance of the victory in terms of the trajectory of the season, “As discussed prior to the match, Swieqi United did well against us in the league so far. Considering the fact that we had not yet scored against them this season, today was an important match not just because we achieved the goal of lifting the first trophy, but also from a mental aspect. The victory means we have broken any mental barriers and now we look forward to the rest.”

The Stripes’ coach praised the character showed by his team to complete the come-back for the victory, “We showed a good reaction to get the draw very quickly after conceding. I had several changes to make at half-time which the players responded well to and I think today the best team won.” Probed about the high-press which rattled Swieqi United’s backline, Borg said, “It was one of the tactical tweaks and something that we used in the second half, together with the wind factor.”

Probed about the surprise return of Sara Saliba to the squad, Borg praised her performance but remained tight-lipped about the striker’s future.

Stephania Farrugia showed her leadership qualities to take the initiative in driving the side forward straight-after conceding. Asked to sum up those mental battles leading to the come-back, the captain said, “Once we conceded the goal, you feel that someone needs to push the team forward. Considering this was a final I knew that we needed to get the goal. The fact that we were playing against the wind certainly made it more difficult. However, once we scored the equaliser we believed even more and then completed the job in the second-half to get the winner and see out the match.”

Summer signing Arianna Del Moral was the goal-scoring hero for the Stripes on the day, “I think the moment we went down a goal sparked a fire in us. Those next five minutes are sort of the biggest moments and getting that equalising goal so quickly drove the excitement further to find the second. As a team, I think we did a good job keeping up the fight and battling to finish the game.”

Del Moral was also pivotal in securing the victory over Breznica Pljevlja by coming off the bench to assist Edith Garcia Falero and continued to make her name as a big-game player following this victory. Probed about these early successes and life with Birkirkara she said, “Certainly since that Champions League game I’ve had more time to build connections with other players. I’m excited for us to keep growing together and looking forward to the second half of the season.”

Jose’ Borg also praised the record crowd, “The committee of Birkirkara worked well to promote the game and I am happy to see that this contributed to break another record for the domestic women’s games. I think these are positive things to celebrate and I hope the attendances keep growing.”

Lead Image: Joe Borg

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