by New champions Birkirkara notched a 2-0 victory against Raiders Lija FC with Marta Grosso and substitute Ruth Steer-Chetham both getting on the scoresheet. Raiders Lija will still be proud of their defensive effort while emergency makeshift goalkeeper Sabrin Blihi stole the show with her display.
Team News
Jose’ Borg named the experienced centre-back pairing of Stephania Farrugia and Charlene Zammit in front of Janice Xuereb in goal. Alishia Sultana slotted on the left behind Raina Giusti, while Valentina Rapa started in the right-back role behind Marta Grosso. Gabriella Zahra and Ann-Marie Said occupied the central midfield, with Gaia Milan as the number ten behind Brisa Campos.
On the other hand, a late emergency forced Denis Guerra to opt for a makeshift goalkeeper in Sabrin Blihi who did not let him nor her team down. She was protected by a back-five Alicia Mifsud, Sarah Caruana, Georgiana Mifsud, Michela Bonello Ghio and Anna Aloisio. Captain Monique Sultana partnered Miriana Conti in central midfield, while Laura Muscat and Ylenia Grech occupied the wings. Leah Ayres was the sole striker up front.
Raiders Frustrate Birkirkara
Birkirkara dominated possession from the referee’s whistle but Raiders Lija were determined to hold on to their clean sheet for as long as possible. Long balls needed to be precise as makeshift goalkeeper Sabrin Blihi was out from her box ready to sweep anything that was not. The three central backs also stood tall, blocking and anticipating balls heading into the box.
Gabriella Zahra curled a shot towards the top left corner from just inside the box within the first 10 minutes, but Blihi positioned herself well to collect. Good link up play between Alishia Sultana and Raina Giusti led to a dangerous cross after a quarter of an hour of play, however, Brisa Campos’s attempted dink had too much height on it.
The perseverance shown by the Raiders’ defence prompted various tactical switches by Jose’ Borg, including shifting Ann-Marie Said to left-back, pushing Alishia Sultana to right-wing, whilst fielding Gaia Milan and Marta Grosso as double pivots.
Birkirkara break the deadlock
The overload in the box proved successful in the latter stages of the first half when Marta Grosso fired Birkirkara into the lead. The goal came amid chaos which saw Birkirkara appeal for a penalty for a foul on Gaia Milan. However, the contact appeared to be shoulder-to-shoulder.
The referee waived the game on, and Birkirkara followed it up with a flurry of shots which Raiders’ defenders and goalkeeper blocked repeatedly. However, they could not clear the ball effectively from the box which piled pressure that ultimately cost the team the goal at the stroke of half-time.
Birkirkara substitutes link well to double the lead
Both managers made use of their bench at half-time and continued to do so as the game wore on. Jose’ Borg brought on Veronique Mifsud in a like-for-like switch with Gaia Milan. Meanwhile, Guerra opted to replace Miriana Conti with Gaia Antonelli, with the former having taken a knock during the first half.
Borg freshened up the attack in the 55th minute by bringing on Ruth Steer-Chetham and Sara Saliba who replaced Brisa Campos and Valentina Rapa. Denis Guerra responded by bringing on Eunice Micallef in replacement of Sarah Caruana, while Laura Muscat made way for Sarah Vella Barberi.
Birkirkara’s substitutes had an almost immediate impact. Sara Saliba got the better of her marker and drove in towards the by-line, before cutting back to Steer-Chetham who struck first-time into the net, despite Blihi getting something on it.
Veronique Mifsud also had a good impact in picking out forward runs by Ann-Marie Said and Sara Saliba on the left wing. The three linked well but attacks led to no fruition in goals. Ileana Farrugia replaced Raina Giusti in Birkirkara’s final change of the match.
Raiders Lacked Counter-Attacking Venom
Denis Guerra gave Leah Ayres an early rest, who had a difficult and pretty lonely night up front against the two Birkirkara centre-backs, which was to be expected considering the gameplan that Raiders set out for the match. Guerra instead brought on Francesca Bartolo, who took a central midfield role allowing Sarah Vella Barberi to push up front, while Gaia Antonelli shifted to the wing.
Bartolo and Vella Barberi almost managed to fashion a strong counterattack in the latter stages of the match as Bartolo recovered the ball in midfield and set to release Vella Barberi. However, Charlene Zammit read the play and thwarted the attack to deny Raiders any chance of getting a reply.
Despite the defeat, Lija’s defensive plan was executed with aplomb and frustrated Birkirkara for long periods of the match. However, the mounting pressure ultimately cost the team, who will perhaps continue building on their defensive strengths by improving transitions from defense to attack to hurt teams on the counter more effectively.
Full Time Score: Birkirkara 2 – 0 Raiders Lija FC
League Standings & Fixtures
The win stretches Birkirkara’s lead up front as the champions will continue to aim for the highest possible tally. Meanwhile, the defeat denies Raiders Lija FC a chance to close the gap to fourth place.
Elsewhere, Mgarr United closed the gap to third place by winning their fixture against Mtarfa with a resounding score of 9-1. Kelly Agius Pace and Amber Grech both netted hattricks for the team. Half-time substitute Brenda Borg got on the scoresheet just five minutes into the second half, while fellow substitute Francesca Chircop netted a brace to complete the scoring for the greens. Mtarfa’s reply was scored by Angele Fenech. The two will face each other again on Thursday 27th April at the Mgarr Ground at 8:30 pm.
However, before that Mtarfa will play against San Gwann as the two gith for a chance to double their points tally for the season. The match will be played on Monday 24th at 8:30 pm at the Centenary Stadium.
Raiders will play their final game of the season next Wednesday 26th April at 8 pm at the Centenary Stadium. Meanwhile, champions Birkirkara will lift the trophy following the final match of the league against San Gwann, which will be played on Saturday 29th April at 2 pm at the Centenary Stadium.
Photo Credit: Chiara Faedo
