For
this match the Blacks welcomed
Carmel Vella back to the side
following a season-long absence
due to an injury sustained
during a training session. Glen
Cutajar, who had also recovered
from an injury, was available as
a substitute. This did no mean
that there was a full complement
of players from which to choose
a starting eleven. Tyler Grech
was out with a hamstring injury
and Daniel Camilleri was out due
to illness.
Luke
Buttigieg, who, although beaten
by huge scores in the first few
matches, has been sensational
for the Blacks, started in goal.
Antonio Xuereb and Bernard
Sammut played at right and left
back. The two Qala Saints
players on loan with the Blacks,
Lorenzo Tabone and Manuel
Buttigieg, played in central
defence. Adrian Cordina was
given the holding role in
midfield. The captain, Carl
Scicluna, played further up in
central midfield. Dario Mallia
started on the right and Carmel
Vella started on the left in
midfield. Brenden Spiteri played
just off centre-forward Luke
Meilak in attack.
Għajnsielem took on their
opponents, S.K. Victoria
Wanderers, determined to end
their losing streak. So they
started very aggressively and in
the 9th minute Luke Meilak
nearly scored when he took a
Dario Mallia pass and lobbed
over the S.K. Victoria
Wanderers' goalkeeper, but the
ball went wide. The Wanderers
reacted with a breakaway chance
but Buttigieg, who has developed
an effective technique in
dealing with one-on-one
situations, blocked the
opponent's shot. Back to the
other end, the Blacks were
awarded a free-kick but Carl
Scicluna's shot was blocked.
In
the 13th minute the Wanderers
took the lead from a long range
shot. Three minutes later
Buttigieg made a good save on
another dangerous Wanderers
shot. But only one minute later
he was beaten for the second
time when the Blacks' defence
was too slow to clear the ball
following a corner.
Għajnsielem tried to react to
this double blow and in the 19th
minute Meilak went on a
breakaway. He finished poorly
and the chance was lost. A
minute later Buttigieg made
another good save. In the 21st
minute Buttigieg denied the
Wanderers once again with
another good save. Instants
later, however, Buttigieg was
beaten once again when the
Blacks' defence failed to clear
the ball.
The
Blacks kept attacking in an
attempt to get back in the
contest. In the 27th minute
Adrian Cordina beat the
Wanderers' goalkeeper with a low
diagonal shot to the keeper's
left following good work between
Sammut and Meilak. Two minutes
later Cordina passed the ball to
Meilak who control the ball well
before unleashing a shot, which
gave the Wanderers' goalkeeper
no chance.
S.K.
Victoria Wanderers tried to
regain the initiative and in the
32nd minute took a 2-4 lead
after the Blacks failed to deal
with a through ball. The Blacks
were not disheartened by this
setback. They poured forward and
in the 33rd minute Brenden
Spiteri was brought down inside
the Wanderers' penalty area.
Meilak scored from the penalty
kick to reduce the deficit to
one goal. Meilak then forced a
good save out of the Wanderers'
goalkeeper following an exchange
of passes with Spiteri. In the
40th minute, however, the Blacks
drew level when Cordina
converted Vella's pass. Moments
later the referee blew the
half-time whistle. This was the
first time that the Blacks went
into the half-time break on
level terms.
Following the restart Scicluna
took a Meilak cross and shot at
goal. The Wanderers' defence
blocked the ball and from the
rebound Vella shot high. A
minute later Scicluna shot high
from inside the penalty area. In
the 7th minute Scicluna's
free-kick was turned high over
the bar by Vella. Before the
Blacks could make good on their
bright start to the second half,
they conceded the fifth goal
from a 10th minute breakaway.
Once again the Blacks fought
back right away. This because in
the 11th minute a move involving
Antonio Xuereb, Dario Mallia and
Carl Scicluna was finished by
Carmel Vella who slotted home
from close range.
All
the Blacks' effort in midfield
and attack, however, was being
undone by their weak defending.
Despite Cordina's presence in
the heart of defence, a move
made after the break, the Blacks
were still unsteady in defence.
In the 15th minute soft
defending led to the go-ahead
goal, and eventual winner for
the Wanderers. A minute later
Buttigieg made a good save from
a shot taken from the left. In
the 22nd minute the Wanderers
pounced on yet another short
clearance and scored their
seventh goal. A minute later the
Blacks nearly started another
comeback but Mallia's far post
header was blocked. In the 31st
minute Mallia passed to Vella
who failed to score with a lob.
Down the other end Buttigieg
blocked the shot on a Wanderers'
breakaway. Two minutes later
Buttigieg was beaten for the
eight time at the end of a
Wanderers' fast break.
The
referee had been patient all
match long tolerating rough
play. Eventually tempers flared
following a foul from behind on
Carmel Vella. The latter
retaliated but both players were
spared a booking or even worse
by the lenient referee. The
animosity between the two sets
of players degenerated and
moments later a Wanderers player
was sent off for a foul and
Brenden Spiteri was also shown
the red card for retaliating.
Glen Cutajar, who had just come
on for Dario Mallia, was sent
off for hacking an opponent. It
was a pity that a an exciting
football match ended in this
unseemly way.
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