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MATCH REPORT
The chase is on. Għajnsielem F.C.
edge Sannat Lions by a goal to
nil. The three points take
Għajnsielem to first place equal
on points with Victoria
Hotspurs. The latter’s game in
hand is Sunday’s derby against
the resurgent S.K. Victoria W.
Alex Simoncic, once again proved
to be the difference between the
Blacks and their opponents. He
scored the winner from a direct
free-kick early in the second
half. Joseph Grech, heroic in
this outing, collected his
team’s first clean sheet of the
season.
Franklee Galea and Kenneth
Mercieca returned to the
starting line-up, having served
their one-match ban. This was
Galea’s first match alongside
Simoncic in midfield. The two
complement each other well, and
will function better the more
they play together. David
Debattista kept his place as one
of the two stoppers deployed by
coach Alex Spiteri despite the
availability of Glenn Cefai.
Debattista was in the spotlight
early on. He was quick to
recover when Ferdinand Apap was
beaten on a Sannat breakaway and
managed to block as John
Camilleri was ready to fire at
goal. Debattista kept Camilleri
under control for most of the
half. When the one-time Black
managed to gain some time and
space on Debattista he was
wasteful in his finish.
Martin Cremona and Joseph
Buttigieg alternated as Sabri
Rais’ markers, depending on the
latter’s position in the field.
Both did well to neutralize the
ever dangerous Rais, especially
on Sannat corner kicks.
Ferdinando Apap was not at his
best in the first half. But this
could be said about almost every
Għajnsielem player. The thought
swirling in every Għajnsielem
supporter’s head was that the
pressure of a title chase must
be getting to the Blacks. How
else could you explain, for
example, the inability of an
experienced player such as
captain Buttigieg to calm things
down and stroke the ball with
confidence to Għajnsielem’s
midfield general Simoncic.
Instead, Simoncic spent most of
the first half watching the ball
sailing over his head out of
Għajnsielem’s defence.
Kenneth Mercieca too betrayed a
certain degree of fear when on
occasion in the opening session
instead of drifting wide and
giving a safe passing option, he
jogged out of defence,
inconspicuously, in the pack.
Rodrigo Cariaga and Thiago dos
Santos tried to make the most of
the frequent high balls. Indeed,
on a couple of occasions
Għajnsielem were inches away
from creating something but the
final pass was hit too hard.
Mercieca, showing some of the
quality he possesses surged out
of Għajnsielem’s half and with
Cariaga going one way and dos
Santos the other chose to send
dos Santos away from goal,
instead of Cariaga on a
one-on-one with Paul Galea in
the Sannat goal.
It took Għajnsielem over half an
hour to string more than three
passes together, but when they
did, the manoeuvre took them
from right to left, with every
Black seemingly applying an
inspired touch. Sannat’s
defenders, sensing the danger,
committed a foul. This was
Simoncic’s first chance to leave
his imprint on the encounter.
His curling shot, from well
outside the Lions’ penalty area,
did not swerve sufficiently and
ended in the side netting, to
Galea’s right. This development
created a flicker of hope for
the suffering Blacks fans,
shivering with apprehension,
more than cold, on the stands at
the Sannat Ground. They silently
bargained for a scoreless first
half with the football gods, in
the knowledge that Għajnsielem
always play better in the second
half.
Sabri, Camilleri, Errol Grima
(playing this season’s first
match against his Club) and
company tried hard to convert
their clear supremacy over the
Blacks into goals. But they were
not sharp in front of goal.
Joseph Grech, aside from one
unfortunate intervention during
which he nearly injured himself,
looked determined to keep his
side in the match and he did so
magnificently, especially when
he saved a Lions’ hard drive
from outside the penalty area
towards the end of the half.
Mario Apap’s half-time whistle
brought to an end a woeful
opening 45 minutes for the
Blacks. Għajnsielem’s
persistence with rigid
man-to-man marking in defence
tends to expose their flanks.
The assignment of one, sometimes
two players to specific marking
jobs in midfield distorts the
shape of their team. The
emphasis on negating the other
team’s match-winners seems to
create a siege mentality within
the ranks. Hoofing the ball
upfield is job well done. And,
as they say, it works in Gozo.
Għajnsielem have won four of
their last five matches and are
unbeaten in that stretch. But
this brand of football, aside
from being anti-football, is not
good for the faint of heart.
Three narrow wins in a row,
there is so much the supporters
can take.
The anxiety and the general
disorganization within the team
are forgivable (given the stakes
and the conventional wisdom
about what works around here),
the underutilization of the
team’s best assets, Simoncic,
Cariaga and dos Santos is not.
Thankfully, as tiredness sets in
instinct takes over, and
Għajnsielem started to play
football right from the second
half kick-off. Within a handful
of minutes, their pressure
forced Sannat into a foul in a
promising position for
Għajnsielem’s peerless marksman.
The Serbian took aim, and with a
hard low drive from well outside
Sannat’s penalty area blasted
the ball past Galea and into the
Lions’ goal for the eventual
winner. Simoncic’s second goal
direct from a free-kick in as
many matches with the Blacks,
surely a first, brought a gasp
out of all the supporters in
attendance. Simoncic and his
teammates leapt with delight.
President Sammy Rapa, Spiteri
and the rest of the Blacks’ clan
were reaping instant dividends
for their investment in this
player. The supporters furiously
texted his name along with the
score to their mates who for
some reason could not be there.
Simoncic and company outplayed
Sannat in the second half and
emerged deserving winners.
Għajnsielem created half a dozen
good scoring opportunities. Two
of these came within five
minutes of Għajnsielem’s goal.
One of these was created by
Mercieca, who tore down the left
and served dos Santos on the
penalty spot, but the latter’s
shot was blocked to a corner.
Moments later dos Santos beat
his man down the right, but
miscued his shot and failed to
trouble Galea. Simoncic tested
Galea with viciously struck
corner kicks, but the brave
Sannat keeper somehow survived.
Down the other end, Joseph Grech
threw his body in harm’s way and
blocked at the feet of a Sannat
forward.
Mercieca lifted his game, but so
did Galea. With socks down to
his ankles he tackled fiercely
in midfield, forcing one
turnover after another. On
occasion Galea reminds us that
he graduated to the senior side
from the youths on the basis of
his fine passing and shooting
skills, rather than his
ball-winning capabilities. He
provided a sublime through pass
that sent dos Santos on a clean
breakaway. Paul Galea loomed
large and the Brazilian shot
straight at the Sannat keeper.
If Galea came into prominence
after the restart, so did
Buttigieg. The captain not only
led by example keeping
possession with simple outlet
passes, but sought to hurt the
Lions with killer passes. Near
the half hour mark, he set
Cariaga up with a diagonal pass
that took out Sannat’s
back-line. Galea, again, denied
Cariaga. Corner to Għajnsielem.
Meilak too, led Għajnsielem out
of their zone, head lifted high
on the look for openings in
Sannat’s tiring rearguard.
Meilak nearly settled the matter
with a left-footed shot
following a corner that slammed
hard against the wall just wide
of Galea’s goal.
Cremona, not only contributed
with his experience, height and
weight, to preserve
Għajnsielem’s precarious lead,
but he even took his turn as
play maker. He sent dos Santos
away but the Brazilian’s shot
went wide. Cremona was hurt on
this play, but recovered to
finish the match on the field of
play. Apap, made up for his
average output in the first
half, with a tremendous show of
athleticism and composure in the
second half. On one occasion he
threatened to put the Lions away
all on his own. He did not
succeed, but the ease with which
he recovered his position in
front of Grech, once his
adventure in attack came to an
end, left one gasping in awe.
Mercieca, who kept the energy
level up to the end, provided
one more invitation to score to
dos Santos but the striker,
perhaps surprised that the ball
made it all the way to his feet,
hesitated and gave his marker a
chance to recover and clear
away.
Cariaga and dos Santos were
involved time and again in
Għajnsielem’s build-up in the
latter stages of the game.
Frustrated by the superior
quality brought to bear by the
Blacks, Sannat resorted to
tactical fouls. Manna from
heaven when you have Simoncic, a
deadeye with his left foot.
Galea saved two of Simoncic’s
free-kicks and saw another shave
the crossbar.
Grech and his defenders dealt
with Sannat’s desperate last
attempts to save the match with
courage and determination.
Cariaga and dos Santos created
more chances for Għajnsielem to
make sure of the points but the
ball would not go in. Finally,
time added on elapsed and
Għajnsielem celebrated another
crucial, hard-fought win.
Unbelievable though it may seem
with so many matches left to
play, one feels that the Blacks
already have no room for error.
This creates unbearable tension
in the stands during the match,
and sheer elation upon the final
whistle, quite a ride.
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