Għajnsielem F.C. and
Xewkija Tigers
featured
in a 1-1 draw in a first
division match played under the
scorching sun at the Sannat
Ground. The Blacks should have
won this match. But in the end
they could have easily lost it.
Jason Portelli opened his
account for the Blacks with a
volley early in the second half.
Andreas Fotso earned a point for
his side with an excellent
second effort goal 10 minutes
later.
Għajnsielem welcomed back N'dayi
Kalenga who returned to the Club
for his third stint with the
Blacks. He replaced Shelby
Printemps who was released by
the Club. Kalenga thus resumed
his partnership with Joseph
Attard II. The two of them
scored 26 goals in partnership
in 2003/04 and Kalenga followed
up his 16 goals that season with
26 in the championship 2004/05
season. The two of them did not
find the going as easy today as
they did back then. There were,
however, some positive signs.
Attard II was extremely lively,
especially in the first half.
Kalenga tried to get involved in
the action from the start. He
involved his team-mates around
him as much as possible with
short passes. Kalenga was
particularly dangerous with his
neat flicks, two or three of
which caused Xewkija serious
problems towards the end of the
match. More will be expected of
him as the season unfolds;
sharpness in front of goal and
two or three solo runs (instead
of simple layoffs) with
opponents scattered in his wake
would be more reminiscent of the
Kalenga of old.
The midfield was packed with
five men. Charlon Tabone's good
outing against Nadur did no go
unnoticed. He kept his place in
the starting line-up but played
further back than last time,
wide right in midfield. Tabone
played well in this match until
he succumbed to cramps towards
the end. He was involved in a
number of multi-pass manoeuvres
that the Blacks pulled off in
this match. Jason Portelli
played further infield on the
right. Portelli was more
involved in this match than he
was on his debut, which is only
natural. His team-mates are
getting used to his tendencies.
Portelli found more success
switching play with his accurate
diagonal line drives than with
the short one-twos in midfield.
And this is to Xewkija's credit,
a team that is able to pester
and harass every player in all
four corners of the field. The
Tigers were clearly alerted to
the threat posed by the two play
makers, Alex Simoncic being the
other, and they succeeded in
crowding them in midfield.
Simoncic was next man in
midfield. He now has Kalenga as
a team-mate, after facing him so
often as an opponent. He knows
what a wonderful target-man
Kalenga can be, either for the
breakaway or for knocking
headers into the path of the
second man. There were hints of
an understanding developing
between Simoncic and Kalenga, we
will surely see more of it in
the future. Wide left played
Kenneth Mercieca who had a good
game. He often took possession
in transition, took on his man
and pulled the Blacks out with
him into attack. His output was
consistently good throughout the
match. The one complaint that
may arise out of his performance
today is his tendency not to
pull the trigger when in a
position to strike at goal.
With four offensive-minded
companions, purely by
elimination, Franklee Galea must
surely have been tasked to
occupy the holding role in
midfield. Galea, however, is all
action and rather than hold, he
was in seek and destroy mode.
And the Blacks needed him to be
in such a mode in this match
with the Tigers throwing their
weight around the length and
width of the Sannat Ground.
Although he has to sacrifice
some finesse in order to pull
this off, Galea is invaluable in
midfield. He even dashed in
support of attacking team-mates
in the second half. Galea must
have been struggling with
exhaustion or injury otherwise
his late substitution would not
have made sense.
So this meant that in the forced
absence of the suspended
Ferdinando Apap, the Blacks
opted for a three-man defence
made up of the dominant Yannick
Ossok as libero and the
tenacious duo of captain Joseph
Buttigieg and David Debattista
as stoppers. Although this 3-5-2
formation has long gone out of
favour it seems to work in this
league, at least occasionally.
Today was one such occasion. One
feared that Xewkija would draw
the stoppers away from the
flanks and attack the open space
but they did not do so, at least
not with the kind of insistence
that would indicate that they
appreciated that this was the
key to victory today. It is
rather ironic that Xewkija's
goal came from pressure on the
very centre of the Blacks'
defence. Ossok's headed
clearance to fellow central
defender Buttigieg put the
latter under pressure. The ball
was cleared short and Xewkija
returned the ball up the middle,
it took a funny bounce and
evaded the long reach of Ossok's
legs. Andreas Fotso, who till
then had been a purely
destructive force in midfield,
switched gears and went clear
through. His first shot pulled a
great save out of Joseph Grech,
but Grech's clearance soared
into the path of Fotso who leapt
and headed into an empty net.
Going back to the 3-5-2's
vulnerability to wing-play,
Xewkija had in their captain
Joseph Cefai the man who could
have executed a memorable heist
for the yellows. At least once
in each half he took the
opportunity to demonstrate his
match-winning potential. In the
first half he was released down
the left, Cefai's cross shot,
however, was within the reach of
the Blacks' goalkeeper Grech,
who grabbed the low cross well.
In second half injury time,
Cefai dismissed the challenge of
second half substitute Robert
Grima who took Cefai's bait and
went for the sliding tackle.
Xewkija's captain strolled into
the Blacks' penalty area and
delivered a perfect cross, which
was met by substitute Mark
Camilleri, his header just
cleared Grech's cross-bar, Paul
Caruana then blew the final
whistle.
That would have been a sapping
loss for the Blacks who started
the match almost exactly as
Xewkija ended it. Joseph Attard
II was released down
Għajnsielem's right. Attard II,
visibly buoyant by the fact that
he was not only starting, but by
the presence of Kalenga next to
him, looked up and placed what
he thought would be a favour
that Kalenga would have to
return with interest the rest of
the season, an invitation for
the Congolese striker to score.
There was nothing wrong with the
cross, it was simply that
Kalenga made a run for the first
post. No problem, however,
because there was Kenneth
Mercieca, for once timing his
run perfectly. He rose high and
hammered the ball with his head
at Jonathan Xuereb's goal. The
whole move deserved a goal. It
was not to be because the ball
slammed the crossbar behind the
beaten Xuereb and back into
play.
Għajnsielem's next near miss
came direct from an Alex
Simoncic corner. The ball almost
crept inside Xuereb's near post
off a Xewkija defender. Portelli
then exhibited himself with a
sumptuous diagonal pass to
Attard, but the latter's first
touch was poor and the ball went
astray. In the 25th minute mark,
in a complete reverse of what
everyone expected to happen
often in this match, Kalenga
took possession down
Għajnsielem's left and he
spotted the Blacks' player-coach
Simoncic do what every
Għajnsielem midfielder
should do, attack the empty
spaces in the opposition penalty
area. Kalenga's cross was well
delivered and Simoncic, although
near the edge of Xewkija's
penalty area, nearly beat Xuereb.
The ex-Għajnsielem veteran
reached the ball with his
fingertips and pushed it wide
for a corner. Charlon Tabone
shot high and wide from
distance. Tabone's bearings
improved considerably a little
later when he produced a
gigantic spill out of the
usually reliable Xuereb.
Tabone's team-mates, however,
were caught napping and a good
opportunity for an easy goal was
wasted.
Before this Grech had committed
a minor spill of his own from a
wicked free-kick struck by
Clayton Hili. Unlike Xuereb,
Grech had to pay for his
mishandling of the ball as he
had to withstand Rodney
Buttigieg's thundering
challenge. Għajnsielem and
Xewkija traded late chances but
the latter must have been the
happier with the half-time
whistle, as Patrick Camilleri
and Giovann Vella (until he was
stretchered off injured) were
constantly under pressure from
the Blacks.
The tune would change in the
second half but not before the
Blacks brought on more evidence
in support of their case that
they deserved the lead. Simoncic
found Kalenga with one of his
free-kicks, but Kalenga, not yet
as sharp as he needs to be,
lifted high over Xuereb's bar.
Then Xuereb saved Simoncic's
shot from open play. Then
Mercieca played the ball to
Franklee Galea, who was fouled
as he tore past a Xewkija
defender. Simoncic's attempt at
goal from the free-kick was
punched away by Xuereb. The ball
flew straight at Portelli. The
ex-Victoria Hotspurs midfielder
must have been thinking about
this eventuality because he
promptly twisted his body
slightly to his left and
volleyed the ball with his right
foot hard and straight towards
the empty corner to Xuereb's
right. What a way to open your
account for the new club.
Għajnsielem, knowing that one
goal is not much of a lead at
the small confines of the Sannat
Ground sought to pull well clear
with a second goal. They failed
to do so. Tabone sent Attard
away on the left. The latter
could not extricate himself from
his marker. So he played the
ball into the path of Mercieca.
Instead of hammering at Xuereb
first time with his favoured
left, Mercieca tried to set
himself up for the perfect
strike. Needless to say he was
swamped by Tigers in no time. He
managed to square the ball to
Tabone, who had joined the
attack, but the latter skied the
ball.
After this let off Xewkija
equalized and Għajnsielem's
chance to catch the train of
teams ahead of them seemed lost.
Portelli and Simoncic, from a
Kalenga cross, came close
shortly after. Ossok showed why
he is the best defender here,
when he saved the day after
Cefai was sent through on the
left. Paul Rapa forced Grech
into a good save, his
grandfather the late ex-Club
secretary and coach Carmelo Rapa
who passed away earlier this
week, for whom a minute's
silence was observed before
kick-off and black armbands worn
by Għajnsielem, would have been
simultaneously proud and a
little chagrined had he beaten
Grech. In injury time Simoncic
sent Kalenga all alone but the
latter was flagged for an
offside. Robert Grima, who,
although he has never played
with Kalenga before today, knows
the striker's value as a
target-man, directed a long ball
towards him. Kalenga headed the
ball towards Mercieca, who tried
to set up Attard, but by now
Xewkija had closed the Blacks
down. Simoncic landed yet
another one of his free-kicks in
the danger zone. Mercieca, as if
feeling the supporters'
pressure, swivelled and shot in
great haste. But Xuereb was
alert and saved the ball to deny
Għajnsielem the three points.
Moments later Camilleri's header
went high and the match was
over, one point apiece.
