by It was another demolition for struggling Mtarfa as they faced leaders Birkirkara on Wednesday night. The stripes scored 12 goals and could have had more against a side that just could not handle the firepower.
Goals Galore
Birkirkara struck immediately, with Alishia Sultana breezing past the defense to put the ball in the back of the net after just three minutes of play. It was midfielder Gabriella Zahra that made it two at the 15th minute after her run was perfectly spotted by captain Stephania Farrugia.
On-form striker Sara Saliba could have started her goal tally of the match in the twelfth minute as she looked to capitalize on a poor clearance, but keeper Dorianne Grech stood tall. The striker threatened again at the 20th minute and Estelle Borg put it in the back of the net in an attempt to defend the goal, giving Birkirara their third but denying Saliba’s goal tally.
Saliba got her first goal just a minute later by tapping a poorly parried ball by the Mtarfa keeper. The second goal for the striker came in the 31st minute as she launched a perfect strike from the final third that gave the goalkeeper no chance as it sailed into the top right corner. The number twenty-six made it a hat-trick just three minutes later with a tap in. Her fourth and final goal of the match came in the 40th minute.
Two more goals came in quick succession just before the break as midfielders Gabriella Zahra and Kimberly Parnis scored Birkirkara’s eighth and ninth of the night, respectively.
Half-Time Score: Birkirkara 9 – 0 Mtarfa
Birkirkara coach Jose Borg looked to pile on more misery on the visitors as he brought on new striker Brisa Campos at half-time. She was quick to make her mark as she tapped in her first goal at the 52nd minute. Her second came just a few minutes later, with a well-timed turn and low shot that was too powerful for the keeper to parry away. The striker rounded off the night with a hat-trick at the 87th minute with another low strike into the bottom left corner.
Despite the flurry of goals, Jose Borg actually rested a significant number of usual starting players including the likes of Mariah Cardona, Ann-Marie Said and Raina Giusti. He instead opted to use his substitutions to bring on youngsters and new players in a game that the team could comfortably see through.
Struggling Mtarfa
Room for Improvement
It is no doubt demoralizing for a team to not only lose a match but to be completely outplayed. Goalkeeper and captain Grech could be heard communicating to her team throughout the match as she tried to cajole her teammates into maintaining heart despite the shower of goals. The goalkeeper made some good saves and even took the pressure off the team by taking hold of the ball in corners whenever possible.
Looking at the rest of the field, Mtarfa could not maintain the ball long enough to build any large threat. The defense looked to play to the wings, and sometimes Estelle Borg could be seen carrying out the ball. However, often the positioning of players was not well distributed which gave Birkirkara a chance to crowd out players and dispossess them of the ball.
Positives for Mtarfa Coach
Confidence on the ball is something that the young players of the team will gain with time. At times the ball was passed too early. Better composure on the ball would have allowed other teammates to move into better positions before passing.
One good action from Mtarfa came at the latter stages of the first half as Thea Ida Scicluna rode the challenges of several Birkirkara players. Her attempt to play in Angele Fenech was well-intentioned but the winger could not capitalize as the ball ran out of play before she could get to it. Maria Abdilla made a short appearance for Mtarfa as a striker and provided a different look up front. Perhaps coach Simon Spiteri will look to start her in the next game since her height proved useful to try to get Mtarfa up the pitch.
There is room to improve but to the neutral, it is also visible that there is also potential in the team.
Photo by Joppe Spaa on Unsplash
