Match Preview: Mgarr United vs Swieqi United

Mgarr United will welcome Swieqi United in their home ground at 14:00 as the two finish their Assikura Women’s League commitments against each other this afternoon. Mgarr United’s Matthew Muscat and Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma gave their thoughts on last week’s events and the final league match, with the discussion on officiation taking centre stage in the comments once more for different reasons.

Crucial Points

The two teams will take to the afternoon kick-off knowing that their position in the table is unthreatened, but with an opportunity to better their points tally. Mgarr United managed their first victory over Hibernians this season, last weekend. It allowed the Greens to close the gap to third, while ensuring that Swieqi United are not reachable by the Paolites on the final matchday in second place, after they had yielded the title in the direct confrontation against Birkirkara on Thursday.

Mgarr United’s Matthew Muscat summed up the victory against Hibernians, “I feel that our team was the dominant force and could have won by an even larger margin. It was a clear step forward for us, demonstrating both our offensive strength and defensive resilience. However, the match was marred by yet another injury, which is always a concern.”

This in reference to Rebecca Bajada, who had to be taken off early in the match following a clash. Matthew Muscat was probed about her condition and whether the incident raises a point for improvement of safety features in grounds due to the adjacent walls that were close to where the incident happened.

Muscat was direct in his response, “The injury was a result of a push from an opposing player, not the wall. This wasn’t an isolated incident, the same player committed multiple fouls during the game, particularly targeting Rebecca and could have injured other players too. Such intentional fouls are dangerous, irrespective of the playing environment. It’s critical that match officials enforce safety precautions to prevent such incidents, which are unfortunately not uncommon in various settings. Player safety is paramount, and it’s the responsibility of everyone involved in the game to uphold that standard.”

On the other hand, Swieqi United’s defeat to Birkirkara settled the title race last Thursday. It was a league campaign with plenty of twists and turns, but ultimately one that saw the Stripes retain the title.

Asked whether the team can look at the league campaign with pride to push the challenge to the final matchdays, Swieqi United’s captain Dorianne Theuma replied, “We are obviously disappointed with the way things ended, we lacked consistency throughout the season. However, despite the challenges the team faced, we should take pride in the fact that we remained contenders for the league until the penultimate game, which hasn’t been the case in recent years when the league was decided much earlier. Ultimately, I believe the better team won the league, so I congratulate the Birkirkara players, coaches, and staff for this achievement.”

On the other hand, the veteran continued by echoing calls for improvement in officiation, as errors reared their head once more in crucial moments, “That being said, it’s difficult not to comment on the last game. Conceding goals from clear offside positions at crucial moments really killed us. Poor officiating has been a recurring issue this season, not just for Swieqi, but for the women’s league in general. Everyone makes mistakes and needs to learn, but the experience and quality of referees assigned to critical top-of-the-table clashes can and should be controlled.”

The accuracy of crucial officiation decisions have been lamented by various parties across the league throughout the season in weekly pre-match comments from Birkirkara, to Hibernians to San Gwann and beyond.

Match Expectations

Considering that their places are set, the two teams will take to the pitch freed from the pressure of the table, perhaps just purely in search of earning a victory to stand on its own merit. This, before teams split for the international break and then set sights on the Assikura Women’s Knockout.

Mgarr United’s Matthew Muscat suggests that the team is focused on the match at hand. He said, “As we head into our match against Swieqi United, our primary aim is to end our league commitments on a positive note. Our focus is squarely on delivering a strong performance and securing a good result.”

Probed about match intentions, in view of it being the final league match and in view of the looming cup ties, Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma said, “Of course finishing the league with a win would be the ideal scenario, and we always approach every match with the intention to win, regardless of the circumstances. This game isn’t our final one of the season. Just as we have done in these recent matches, we are working hard throughout the week to build on each game, in search of improving our performances week by week.”

The two will meet at the Mgarr Ground at 14:00. The match will overlap with the final encounter between Hibernians and Birkirkara, which will be played at the Centenary Stadium, with kick-off set at 15:00, following which Birkirkara will lift the title to close off the Assikura Women’s League for season 2023/24.

Lead Image: Lara Schembri

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