by Birkirkara FC registered another victory against Mgarr United FC on Tuesday night, winning 3-0. Raina Giusti netted her 150th goal for the club. Sara Saliba & Veronique Mifsud completed the rout. The greens will be disappointed not to have come away with more from the match, having come close to netting a goal through Tourki Chaimaa in the first half, whilst Amber Grech hit the post in the second interval.
Three Goals Seal The Game in the First Half
The league leaders started the game on the front foot, denying Mgarr United a chance to settle on the ball. In fact, the stripes came close to scoring a goal within five minutes of gameplay through Ann-Marie Said, whose strike hit the post.
Instead, the first goal of the match came in the thirteenth minute when Gabriella Zahra ventured forward and crossed the ball from the left towards Sara Saliba, who made a well-timed run to the near post. The striker rose well above her markers to meet the ball and directed it towards the far post, away from Mgarr goalkeeper Patricia Ebejer, to grab the first for the stripes.
Raina Giusti got the second goal for the stripes just a couple of minutes later, through a well-struck free kick from the left-wing, just outside the box. The number thirteen curled the ball perfectly into the far top corner, making it a memorable milestone goal.
The stripes trailed off for a few minutes, allowing the greens to grow in the match, but again punished the visitors in the fortieth minute, from a corner. This time it was Veronique Mifsud who struck with the laces to find the bottom corner, compounding the misery for the greens.
Missed Opportunities
Birkirkara could not replicate the finishing touch in the second half, which denied them the chance to increase the scoring. The stripes had plenty of shots, with Alishia Sultana and Michela Felice both having a go but not quite hitting the mark.
Giusti could have made it a hat-trick on the night and perhaps had the best chances of the second half, having had a free run at two one on one chances against Patricia Ebejer. In the first chance, Ann Marie-Said recaptured possession in midfield and perfectly timed the pass to Giusti’s run, but the latter’s strike rolled past goalkeeper Patricia Ebejer but also wide of the mark. Another chance came late in the game, but the hit lacked the bend to get away from Ebejer, who to her credit closed well.
Golden Chances For Mgarr
Though they started a bit shakily, Mgarr United grew in the match. Despite this, they could not capitalise on a golden chance they created in the 19th minute. It was dogged work from Amber Grech who won the ball high up the pitch. The greens recycled the ball, with Grech ultimately making the final forward pass to striker Tourki Chaimaa who was free on a one-against-one with goalkeeper Janice Xuereb. However, the striker could not make up her mind quickly enough and ultimately struck straight at Xuereb.
Despite the miss, the chance gave some confidence and belief to the greens. Yulya Carella struck from just outside the box a few minutes later, however, Xuereb was well-positioned to collect.
Michael Mangion’s team saw more of the ball in the second half. The coach shuffled the pack in the interval, bringing on Kelly Agius Pace to replace Tourki Chaimaa in a straight swap. Meanwhile, Francesca Chircop replaced Kathryn Ellul. Chircop slotted on the wing, with Amber Grech moving into central midfield.
Brenda Borg continued to orchestrate play, and there was plenty of attacking intent to penetrate from the wings. Despite this, the best chance came from a free-kick which Birkirkara did not clear well enough, and Amber Grech struck the ball on the half-volley but was denied by the woodwork.
League Standings
The win sees Birkirkara continue to march forward toward the league title. Meanwhile, Mgarr United still retain fourth place ahead of Raiders Lija FC, however, the loss means that the latter have a chance to close the gap on Wednesday night when they meet bottom-placed Mtarfa FC.
Meanwhile, Hibernians FC met San Gwann FC at the Mgarr Ground, in an encounter which they won comfortably 4-0, enabling them to retain third place above Mgarr United FC. The whites got an early lead through Alexis Veronica Espitia, whilst Nicole Sciberras grabbed the second goal after 18 minutes of play. Yolande Attard and captain Martina Borg each got on the scoresheet in the second half to complete the rout.
Photo Credit: Brandon Bonett – Just One Click Media
