by Valletta and San Gwann played out a tense but exciting 4–4 draw that had momentum swinging throughout. A hat-trick from Morena Fanega and goal by Rodianne Zerafa gave San Gwann the lead at the break despite the lead initially cancelled by a direct effort from Shakira Bugeja and a placed finish from Ines Mohammed. However, Valletta earned the draw courtesy of late goals by Joelma Alves Gabriel & Ines Mohammed.
Team Selections
Gabriella Grima started in goal for Valletta, behind a quartet of Shakira Bugeja, Sarah Caruana, Ilona Sultana and Aalliyah Bonnici Carbonaro. Carla Giles maintained her position in front of the defence, with Ulani Belkis and Eliza Csik operating further forward. Captain Joelma Alves Gabriel orchestrated behind the attacking partnership of Liliana Cohete and Ines Mohammed.
Meanwhile, Justyne Caruana held her place in goal for San Gwann. Maria Isabel Otalvarez Rubio parterned Mariama Kasim in defence, with Kirstie Vella and Kirsty Paris operating wide. Rhea Borg started in midfield in partnership with Martina Schembri. Captain Annabelle Rapa and Morena Fanega operated wide, with Rioco Figueredo supporting Rodianne Zerafa in attack.
How It Unfolded
Valletta and San Gwann played out a tense but exciting 4–4 draw in a high-stakes encounter between the league’s bottom two sides, a match that underlined both teams’ attacking potential and defensive fragility.
The opening exchanges showed intent from the two, with Valletta enjoying the better spell of possession but both teams squandering opportunities in lacking composure in the final third.
Rioco Figueredo and Rodianne Zerafa continued to work to find a rhythm together, while at the other end Ines Mohammed overhit a promising pass when looking to release Liliana Cohete down the flank. Valletta also failed to capitalise on an early corner.
The first real attempt arrived after 11 minutes when Liliana Cohete latched onto an inviting pass across the box from Ines Mohammed, but her effort flew over the bar as she aimed for the far top corner. Two minutes later, San Gwann registered their first shot on target through Eliza Csik, whose low drive from distance was comfortably gathered by Justyne Caruana. San Gwann responded almost immediately, Rodianne Zerafa cutting inside onto her left foot from outside the area, but her finish also cleared the crossbar.
San Gwann came close from a set-piece after 15 minutes after Rioco Figueredo was fouled on the edge of the box. Morena Fanega curled the free-kick towards goal, but the defensive wall did enough and Gabriella Grima collected safely.
The stakes of the match unfolded beyond football, leading to a brief flashpoint after 18 minutes as Rhea Borg and Joelma Alves Gabriel clashed, forcing referee Denis Kadri to intervene and restore order.
The breakthrough arrived after the 23rd minute. Rioco Figuredo set up Morena Fanega who finished into the top left corner confidently with her right foot to give San Gwann a 1–0 lead. The visitors doubled their advantage just two minutes later, through Rodianne Zerafa heading at the far post from a well-delivered cross from Kirsty Paris.
However, Valletta responded emphatically. Shakira Bugeja reduced the deficit with a stunning direct corner that flew straight into the net in the 29th minute. Momentum swung decisively three minutes later when Ines Mohammed capitalised on a weak defensive header, placing a composed low finish into the bottom left corner to level proceedings.
Despite this, parity did not last long. Morena Fanega restored San Gwann’s lead in the 38th minute with a powerful long-range effort, before striking again just two minutes later from the right side of the box once more. She found the far left post on both occasions, sending San Gwann into the break with a commanding 4–2 advantage.
Half-Time Score: Valletta 2 – 4 San Gwann
Valletta made a triple change at half-time, introducing Sarah Fenech, Kristina Zammit and Melissa Galea in exchange for Aalliyah Bonnici Carbonaro, Carla Giles and Gabriella Grima in an attempt to shift the momentum while handling the restrictions of the 135-minutes rule.
A shooting opportunity from a Valletta free-kick in the 66th minute came to nothing as Shakira Bugeja failed to keep her effort down, while San Gwann reshuffled their side a minute later, bringing on Fatma Al Girbi, Sabrin Blihi and Thais Muscat instead of Kirstie Vella, Martina Schembri and Kirsty Paris.
Valletta looked for further inspiration through Eliza Csik, who tried to drive the team forward, but clear openings were limited.
San Gwann nearly put the game to bed in the 73rd minute when Morena Fanega and Rioco Figueredo combined neatly. However, latter sent her final effort over the bar, leaving Melissa Galea untroubled in goal.
As the match entered its final stages, Valletta threw bodies forward. An 86th-minute corner saw players committed into the box, but the chance was headed away at the near post, and a potential counter-attack was halted by the offside flag.
The late drama arrived in the 89th minute. Joelma Alves Gabriel pulled one back for Valletta with a left-footed effort that took a deflection and crept into the bottom right corner, following a strong dribble from Eliza Csik.
Valletta completed their comeback deep into stoppage time. Tensions flared briefly, with Morena Fanega booked as the Denis Kadran worked to keep control in the closing moments. A free-kick launched from midfield by Shakira Bugeja was not dealt with convincingly, and Ines Mohammed reacted quickest inside the six-yard box to place a low finish into the bottom left corner, making it 4–4.
Final Score: Valletta 4 – 4 San Gwann
Standings & Next Matches
The two share the spoils in a match where both showed resilience and attacking quality, but also highlighted the defensive issues that continue to undermine consistency.
San Gwann will return against Birkirkara on Friday at the Victor Tedesco Stadium at 20:30. Valletta will face Swieqi United at the Charles Abela Stadium on Saturday (KO 18:00).
The Assikura Women’s League weekend will continue with another direct confrontation tonight as Swieqi United take on Hibernians at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30), while Mgarr meet Birkirkara at the Charles Abela Stadium at 18:00 tomorrow.
Assikura Women's League - Standings
Lead Image: Nicholas Falzon
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