by Swieqi United clinched the Super Cup trophy for the first time with a 2-1 victory over Birkirkara yesterday. Coaches Dorianne Theuma and Vince Galea gave their assessment of the match and the bearing of the result on the season. Player of the Match and Swieqi United captain, Shona Zammit, expressed the joy in lifting the trophy, crediting the hard work and unity in the team to achieve this title.
Years In The Making
It was the third consecutive Super Cup final between the two clubs, but Swieqi United finally got it over the line with a 2-1 victory to down Birkirkara.
Although Dorianne Theuma has ten Super Cup titles under her belt from her playing career, the trophy eluded her in her time with Swieqi United as a player. Asked about finally clinching the Super Cup with Swieqi United, as her first trophy as a senior team coach, she replied, “It’s a good feeling for us as Swieqi to finally get this title, so I admit today perhaps I was a bit more nervous because I believed this group of players really deserve this trophy. Having been a player with them until last season I know exactly how much we’ve worked to get this, so I think today I felt the pressure but now as the coach, but the players did not disappoint.”
Captain Shona Zammit echoed her coach’s sentiments, “I think it this win has been built over a number of years, it is truly a story of perseverance. It is a team that has a bit of everything, experience and young players, so to get this win together is a really nice feeling.”
Analysing The Tactical and Mental Battle
Swieqi United took an early lead which they doubled-up before half-time, which proved enough despite Birkirkara getting a goal back.
Swieqi United captain Shona Zammit was one of the standouts in the match, contributing with an assist and a goal to set the team on their way. Her efforts earned her the Player of The Match accolade.
Questioned about scoring the goal just before half-time and the impact on the match, Swieqi United captain Shona Zammit said, “I think it was important to get the second goal, because as I said we have a lot of young players so that cushion settles the nerves. In a sense it came at a good time, but also we needed to be guarded about becoming too relaxed. We were a bit shaky after conceding but regained composure and saw out the match.”
Swieqi United’s number fourteen is also into her first season as captain of the team. Questioned about the added responsibility and what it means to push the team toward this trophy, Zammit replied, “I think they make my job really easy if I’m honest. We have a lot of young players with a really good attitude, who are hard workers and who want to give their one-hundred percent. I think that makes my job and the coaches’ job a lot easier.”
The Swieqi United skipper finished, “Ultimately, I believe that the fact that we have the same mentality in the team helps us pull together toward one aim. It is always about taking things match by match, put our training onto the pitch and see where we can get to.”
Swieqi United’s coach Dorianne Theuma was proud of the team getting the result, but admitted that she wished her team to dominate more, “I wished we had more possession, but we also had the wind factor to consider against us in the first half so I cannot fault the players. At times I still felt we were scared to impose our game, when we were braver we scored. However, in such finals it is all about the result and the team got it over the line. Of course there will be time to assess where we can improve but the result is all that matters today.”
Nerves crept into the side as Birkirkara slashed the lead, testing the team’s maturity in handling such situations, but Dorianne Theuma was happy with the way the team regained composure. She said, “There were the first ten minutes after conceding where we felt the pressure, but I think once we settled we did well and Birkirkara also lost the momentum. So, I do not believe the result was in doubt.”
Birkirkara had their own strong spells in the match with the first goal going against the momentum of play. Probed on the effectiveness of the gameplan, Birkirkara’s Vince Galea gave his take, “The gameplan was working but we were not clinical or aggressive enough in the final third. We also knew Swieqi’s strengths, but a loss of concentration in transition cost us the first goal. Then it’s of course a challenge to chase the equaliser. Conceding the second goal just before half-time is a killer for motivation as well.”
Despite this, the side did get a goal back, but Galea spoke about other elements going against the side, “We did come out strongly and got the goal. However, our plan on changing things from the bench took a hit because we removed Amelia (Vassallo) and put on Martina (Fenech), with the target of pushing Alishia (Cassar) offensively, but we had to take Martina off after a few minutes. We put on the pitch three young players, who gave their all, we cannot fault them. However, we lost the rhythm and struggled to push further.”
The Birkirkara coach finished, “One must keep in mind that this is a very different Birkirkara side to those of past years, the squad was a lot stronger and opponents hadn’t invested as much. We have also lost crucial players along this season, so in a sense these types of game are to be expected.”
What Next?
It is just mid-season, with a title challenge very much still under way. Probed about what bringing home this trophy means for the rest of the season, Dorianne Theuma replied, “We must keep our feet on the ground. We came into this final with good form and must keep building on the performances. There are a lot of tough matches ahead and the most important thing is to learn from our mistakes.”
The Swieqi United coach warned that the battle will only get tougher, “I believe the most recent performances and this win have earned us more respect from our competitors, especially when considering our tough start. I do not believe we are favourites, but players must now expect that opponents will be more motivated against us now.”
Presented a similar question on the bearing of the final on the rest of the season, Birkirkara’s Vince Galea replied, “Now our aim will be to take care of the mental aspect and recover from this defeat. We will keep taking things match by match, assess our situation and work on the next match against Hibernians.”
Games will come thick and fast for the two teams in the next couple of weeks. They will return to Assikura Women’s League commitments on Friday 13th December at Dingli Ground. Swieqi United will host Lija Athletic at 14:00, before the top of the table clash between Birkirkara and Hibernians at 16:30.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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