Mgarr United Claim Third in the League

The Greens closed their league commitments with an 8-0 victory against Mtarfa FC to take third place. Amber Grech scored another hat-trick, while Brenda Borg and Francesca Chircop each got a brace. Yulya Carella also got on the scoresheet to complete the scoring.

Line-Ups

Mgarr United welcomed the return of Abigail Camilleri who slotted in the left-back role, while Rebecca Bajada reverted to the right. Michael Mangion opted for a strong first-team, with Patricia Ebejer in goal, behind centre-back pairing Maia Debono and Oumaima Mhalli. Kathryn Ellul stood in the central midfield role behind captain Brenda Borg, while Amber Grech and Yulya Carella started on the wings. Kelly Agius Pace and Francesca Chircop started in attack.

Meanwhile, Simon Spiteri shuffled the pack since the team’s win against San Gwann earlier in the week. Maria Abdilla started in goal, protected by an almost unchanged back-four except for the introduction of Corine Deguara in the right-back role. Angele Fenech and Shania Spiteri started in midfield, while Kerrie Ciappara took the more advanced role in front of them. Eliza Csik and Estelle Borg sat in the wings, whilst Shakira Falzon was the lone striker up front.

Mgarr’s Milestone in Thirty Minutes

The Greens were a team on a mission from the first whistle. Yulya Carella rang the first bells of danger for Mtarfa as she struck the post after just a couple of minutes of play. Considering that the ball was recycled from what was already their third corner of the match is telling of Mgarr’s dominance by this stage.

Amber Grech initiated the goal-spree shortly after with a long-distance strike that hugged the roof of the net. The number 88 made it look easy again when she notched another strike into the top right corner from well outside the box just three minutes later.

Mtarfa ventured up the pitch after around a quarter of an hour of play, as a mix-up in the Mgarr defence let the blues into dangerous territory, but Maia Debono intercepted and set the Greens on the counterattack. A resulting corner almost led to the third goal but for a great last-ditch clearance from the Blues.

Francesca Chircop got Mgarr United’s third and her first goal of the night after sixteen minutes of play, by tapping in a cross from captain Brenda Borg. The build-up to the goal displayed the class and confidence of the leaders who moved the ball effectively with one-touch football.

The captain got on the scoresheet herself in the twentieth minute, placing the ball into the far-right corner after being picked out by Maia Debono with a curled long ball from just ahead of the half-way line.  

Long-Distance Strikes Extend the Lead

By this point, Yulya Carella was rather traumatizing Mtarfa’s defence with her quick feet. She got on the scoresheet almost on the half-hour of play, beating the goalkeeper with a strike from around thirty yards out. The number eleven had a chance to double her tally with a free-kick from the same distance and got to the end of a corner, but could not find the target in either case.

The Greens kept plugging away and Amber Grech completed her hat-trick on the forty-minute mark, with a powerful shot that the goalkeeper could not keep out despite getting her hand on it. Grech then set-up Brenda Borg for another spectacular strike from distance. The captain placed the ball into the left corner, sending the Greens into the break with a resounding 7-0 lead.

Cruising to Victory

Michael Mangion brought on three substitutes following the break. Kelsey Vella and Daniela Said Ebejer slotted in the right-back and left-wing role respectively. Tourki Chaimaa stepped onto the pitch as the central attacking midfielder, pushing Brenda Borg in a deeper role. Mgarr United’s reserve goalkeeper Gabriella Grima made an appearance in the sixtieth minute, while Yulya Carella gave way to Sarah Fenech after seventy minutes of play.

Simon Spiteri also made changes, bringing on Leonie Muscat and Jasmine Camilleri in the sixtieth minute. Jeanelle Falzon, Kirsty Paris and Elisa Azzopardi also made late appearances.

The Greens kept possession of the ball for large durations of the half, but the extensive lead allowed them to not have to force the issue as much. Despite this, Mtarfa wrote their own demise in the sixtieth minute when they failed to play themselves out from the back. Kelly Agius Pace got a block on the clearance and Francesca Chircop pounced on the loose ball, tapping in her second of the night and Mgarr’s final goal of the evening.

Battling More Than Just Football

The strong first-half performance led to some questionable refereeing decisions who appeared to have softened her hand on the rules of football due to the scoreline. At 5-0 the official started to dismiss claims of handled balls and gave soft free-kicks to the trailing side. Even more astonishingly was the apparent agreement with Mgarr’s players’ arguments but nonetheless awarding of the free-kick.  At one point, the referee also decided to award a corner to Mtarfa, despite Mgarr’s defender covering the ball until it rolled out of play, in what is a common defensive task when certain that the opposing team got the final touch. The positioning of the referee made the call even more questionable.

By this point, it appeared that the leading team was not just battling their opponents (who to their credit were still doing their utmost on the pitch), but also a referee who appeared to be viewing the game from a biased lens. Things took a turn for the worse in the latter stages of the match when unsavoury comments were launched from the stands toward some of the players in green.

In a week that has seen the Malta FA publicly launch an effort for professionalisation and growth of the women’s game, such sights are surely disappointing to witness and must be reined in.

Despite this, the Greens showed their resilience and team spirit by not letting it deter them from their main objective which they reached with aplomb on the night.

League Standings & Fixtures

The 8-0 victory takes Mgarr United into third place, finishing with a tally of 32 points, one above Hibernians FC who will settle for fourth. The two sides will meet next week in the Assikura Women’s Knockout. Meanwhile, Mtarfa FC end their season in sixth place after their victory against San Gwann on Monday.

The final game of the league will be played between champions Birkirkara FC and San Gwann FC on Saturday at 2 pm at the Centenary Stadium.