Mgarr United Lift Themselves to Third Place Following Win Against Raiders Lija

The greens delivered a near-perfect team performance to beat Raiders Lija FC by five goals without reply. Francesca Chircop opened the score and set up Kelly Agius Pace’s goal. Yulya Carella completed the scoring with a stunning hat-trick. Goalkeeper Patricia Ebejer also saved a penalty to ensure a clean sheet for the greens. Both sides could have scored more, having also hit the crossbar.

Mgarr Settle Early

Michael Mangion made some changes to the defensive line-up that faced Hibs, with Maia Debono partnering Oumaima Mhalli, while Rebecca Bajada was employed in the left-back position with Kelsey Ann Vella slotting in on the right. On the other hand, Denis Guerra gave a start to Hannah Khatib, to complete the forward line with Lexine Farrugia and Leah Ayres. Larissa Debono also started ahead of Gaia Antonelli, but the two were swapped midway through the first half.  

The greens set the tone early on, denying Raiders Lija any chance to settle into the match. The defense played a high line and was constantly hunting the ball from the Lija forwards, while midfielders swiftly recovered any loose balls and quickly transitioned into an attack.

Winning the midfield battle gave the greens a strong foothold in the match. Despite this, Mgarr were wasteful in the early stages with shots flying off-target and there was some tension in the stands that they would rue the missed opportunities.

Two Crossbars and a Goal

Kathryn Ellul was the first to get close to launching the greens into the lead, rattling the crossbar in the 28^th minute.  Despite being denied the goal, the chance only came due to the good work ethic of the midfielder who was well-positioned to snatch the ball after a poor touch by Raiders in midfield.

The deadlock was broken shortly after, as Francesca Chircop laced the ball into the bottom right corner in the 33^rd minute. Raiders initially appeared to have dealt with the cross floated in from the left, but the clearance was poor and allowed Chircop the chance to strike the second ball.

There were plenty of fouls drawn by either side as tensions rose, with both captains getting booked within a few minutes of each other. However, it was the greens who came closest to capitalise from a set-piece that they won after Rebecca Bajada was fouled by Georgiana Mifsud in the 42nd minute. Mgarr captain Brenda Borg stepped up to take the kick and beat the wall but was beaten by the crossbar. The greens went into the break with a single-goal advantage.  

Penalty Heroics Swing the Balance

The instructions from Michael Mangion during the half-time team talk were clearly to consolidate the lead as Mgarr came out firing on all cylinders again in the second half. Brenda Borg almost played Kelly Agius Pace immediately behind the defence and through on goal, but Lija defender Georgiana Mifsud expertly read the ball to deny her.

Raiders Lija FC responded positively and Hannah Khatib earned her team a penalty and a chance to get back into the match in the 47^th minute. Leah Ayres stepped up to take the spot kick, but Patricia Ebejer guessed correctly denying Lija their goal and maintaining Mgarr’s lead.

The penalty triggered warning signs that launched Mgarr into the next gear, whilst Raiders Lija FC allowed it to deflate them, a combination which swiftly swung the pendulum to the greens.

Yulya Carella struck her first of the night and second for Mgarr just five minutes later. The ball was expertly launched from the back to find the perfectly timed run of the winger who had the beating of the Lija defence on pace. Mgarr’s number 11 darted into the box and struck with the laces, firing the ball into the far top corner despite the tight angle.

Kelly Agius Pace volleyed in the third goal in the 64^th minute, assisted by Francesa Chircop who did well with the cross to find the near post run of her partner up front. It was the last action of the night for Pace, who was immediately replaced by Tourki Chaimaa.

Yulya Carella struck the fourth goal of the night, and the second for herself in the 72^nd minute with a pinpoint strike into the top left corner from well outside the box. Besides the skill to find the net from long-distance, the goal also displayed good awareness from the forward to spot Giulia D’Antuono off the line.

Denis Guerra attempted to shake things up by bringing on the trio of Laura Muscat, Michela Bonello Ghio and Sabrin Blihi in the 75^th minute. Despite the score (which was 0-4 at the time), the three made a good impact in the game to give Lija some more presence in midfield. Laura Muscat came close to getting a goal back in the latter stages of the match. She was played behind the defence by Ylenia Grech but the substitute was denied by the crossbar.

Carella completed the hat-trick shortly after in the 89^th minute, while Lija goalkeeper Giulia D’Antuono will be disappointed to have let the ball slip through after having gotten fingertips to the strike this time.  

League Standings

The win lifts Mgarr United to third place, with a point above Hibernians on the same number of matches played, whilst Raiders Lija FC retain fifth place.

There is still plenty of action this week. Wednesday presents a double-header as leaders Birkirkara will face leaders Hibs at the Centenary Stadium at 8 pm local time, whilst Swieqi play San Gwann at the Mgarr Ground at 8:30 pm.