Sliema Wanderers return to winning ways with derby victory, Sasere fires Birkirkara past Naxxar Lions

Sliema Wanderers bounced back to form with a 2-0 win over rivals Gżira United at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, while Birkirkara edged past Naxxar Lions 1-0 in Wednesday’s early YoHealth Malta Premier kick-off.

For Paul Zammit’s Sliema, this was a crucial victory after dropping points in back-to-back draws against a ten-man Birkirkara and Valletta. Goals from Roko Prsa and Fernandinho sealed the points, but goalkeeper Rashed Al Tumi emerged as one of the game’s key figures with two decisive saves that kept Gżira at bay.

The defeat was another blow for Clive Mizzi’s Gżira, who remain winless this season. Despite creating clear chances, their lack of cutting edge in front of goal proved costly once again.

Prsa Opens the Scoring

Sliema could have struck early when Steve Pisani fired over from close range after being picked out by Prsa in the eighth minute.

The breakthrough came on 18 minutes. Thiago Espindola’s cross found Prsa, who rose highest to head past Gżira goalkeeper Colombo, giving the Blues a deserved 1-0 lead.

Pisani nearly doubled the advantage shortly after, but his curling free-kick was tipped away by Colombo.

Gżira’s evening worsened when they lost Maxuell Maia to injury in the 27th minute, forcing Toni Silva into action. Silva almost made an immediate impact five minutes before the break, only to be denied by the onrushing Al Tumi, who saved bravely at his feet.

Al Tumi Saves Sliema Again

Three minutes into the second half, Gżira came agonizingly close to equalizing when Andre Pena da Costa’s powerful header looked destined for the net, but Al Tumi pulled off a spectacular one-handed stop.

At the other end, Sulehmana Bah was through on goal but was thwarted by Colombo, keeping Gżira’s hopes alive.

The Maroons wasted their best chance of the match in the 70th minute. Toni Silva’s low cross reached Andre unmarked inside the six-yard box, but the forward inexplicably fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

Sliema punished that miss seven minutes later. Substitute Fernandinho latched onto a clever pass from Diarra and smashed home from close range to secure a vital three points for the Blues.

Sasere Delivers Again for Birkirkara

At the National Stadium, Franklin Sasere continued his fine scoring run, netting the decisive goal in Birkirkara’s 1-0 win over Naxxar Lions.

Sasere, who scored twice in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Mosta, has now bagged three goals in two matches, becoming a key figure for Gianluca Festa’s side.

The win also marked Birkirkara’s second consecutive clean sheet and lifted them into the top half of the table with nine points.

For Naxxar, the defeat was a setback after showing promise in previous outings, while Birkirkara will take confidence from their growing momentum as they push higher up the standings.