BIRKIRKARA 3
Tarxien R: A. Cassar, S. Radovanovic, E. Baker, A. Scicluna, G. Aquilina, L. Grech, S. Tounkara, W. Viera (G. McKay), E. Calin, R. Faria, S. Cipriott (B. Traore)
Birkirkara: K. Naumowski, E. Herrera (O. Rolovic), F. Barbosa, M. Andelkovic, J. Grech (T. Agius), K. Zammit, C. Concalves (N. Borg), W. Ferreira, R. Scicluna, C. Attard, L. Maia
Referee: M. Spiteri
Asst.refs: A. Camileri, T. Debono
Additional asst.refs: S. Pace, A. Thomson
4th official: M. Scerri
Scorers: R. Faria 15, W. Ferreira 35, J. Grech 43, 72
Yellow cards: S. Cipriott, L. Maia, K. Naumowski, R. Scicluna
Player of the match: M. Andelkovic (Birkirkara)
TMI top 3: 1. M. Andelkovic 2. W. Ferreira 3. S. Tounkara
Attendance: 251
This win, thanks to a brace by Jake Grech and another by Waldemar Ferreira, was a test for Birkirkara's character as well as the established quality of their attack.
The match proved to be an arduous return to domestic duties for Birkirkara following that anaemic loss to Balzan the previous week that handed them a reality check.
Birkirkara started with six foreigners, leaving Rolovic on the bench and omitting both Dimitrov and Vukanac from their squad. Jake Grech was handed a start, together with Lucas Maia in defence and Waldemar Ferreira in attack.
Tarxien were awkward opponents but the Stripes turned a difficult fight into a win – their 14th of the season that takes them temporarily in third place.
Tarxien, badly in need of points to boost their survival prospects, had started really brightly, playing with great intensity and organisation and soon after taking the lead, they fluffed another good opportunity to go two up.
But Birkirkara summoned enough effort to regroup, thanks to the industry of Andelkovic and Scicluna in midfield, and hit them with two goals within seven minutes to take a first-half lead.
And after Tarxien contrived to even miss a penalty short of the hour, Birkirkara's dominance increased to the point that they scored hit them on the counter to put the match beyond them.
With Tarxien closing spaces and incessantly harrassing them on the ball, the Stripes could not create openings and initially struggled in the face of a very disciplined Rainbows defence, that had Ebiabowei Baker returning from suspension.
It took Birkirkara more than 12 minutes to warm keeper Andrea Cassar's gloves after Andelkovic's shot from outside the area, following a Grech free kick that rebounded against the Tarxien wall, was well saved by the shot stopper.
Tarxien's response on the other end came through a Calin cross from the right that cut the Birkirkara defence but Tounkara failed to put his shot on target at the far post.
But the Stripes would crack on the quarter hour. Tounkara galloped down the left flank and his pacey run took him beyond Attard, inside the Birkirkara area, and after avoiding the onrushing keeper Naumowski he crossed towards the middle for Ricardo Faria to steer the ball in.
That goal swelled Tarxien's confidence.
Two minutes later, a similar move, almost doubled their lead but this time Faria hesitated a bit, after connecting to Tounkara's cross, and Naumowski could block.
But all of Tarxien's work counted for nothing when Birkirkara equalised and then forged ahead before halftime.
On 35 minutes, Herrera whipped a cross from near the byeline on the right and Waldemar Ferreira rose high to head the ball down at Cassar's far post.
And two minutes before the break, Jake Grech picked up an Attrd through pass and hit the ball low past the onrushing keeper Cassar.
The finish was smart and it sparked releif among the Stripes' ranks given that up to that point they had been second best.
Tarxien were handed a lifeline towards the hour. Birkirkara defender Attard was late with his tackle on the advancing Viera, judged to have been inside the area. But keeper Naumowski dived the right way to repel Faria's penalty and deny the Rainbows an equaliser.
For all their second half dominance, Birkirkara needed to kill off their stubborn opponents at that stage. This they did 18 minutes from time. Andelkovic broke away from his own half, after Birkirkara had cleared a Tarxien free kick, played the ball square to Jake Grech to beat keeper Cassar at the top corner with a clinical finish and put result beyond doubt.
Birkirkara could have made them four on 77 minutes, but Ferreira's goalbound header, off a Herrera cross, was blocked on the line by Andre Scicluna.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2HHOy6p
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