Floriana FC strengthened their grip on the YoHealth Malta Premier League title race as they eased past Birkirkara with a convincing 2โ0 victory at the National Stadium, moving four points clear at the summit.
The Greens dominated proceedings from the opening whistle and effectively decided the contest within the first half-hour, leaving a depleted Birkirkara side struggling to find a foothold.
Floriana broke the deadlock on 19 minutes when Francisco Teixeira was brought down inside the area by Leandro Lacunza. Referee Slobodan Petrovic pointed to the spot and, after consulting Football Video Support, confirmed the decision. Jake Grech made no mistake from twelve yards, calmly sending Matthew Grech the wrong way.
Birkirkara offered little response and Floriana doubled their advantage on 34 minutes. Federico Varela released Mattia Veselji down the flank, and his dangerous cross-shot was inadvertently turned into his own net by Stefan Marjanovic, compounding the Stripesโ woes.
Floriana remained on top and went close to extending their lead before the interval, with Kouya Mabea forcing a fine save from Grech with a powerful long-range effort.
The Stripes showed more intent after the break following the introduction of Jan Busuttil and Marcos Maydana, and Manuel Morello was denied by an alert Gabriele Cioletti early in the second half. However, Floriana continued to look the more dangerous side, with Teixeira narrowly missing the target and Cioletti later producing an excellent save to keep out Busuttilโs header.
The hosts comfortably managed the closing stages, further boosted by the return of Carlo Zammit Lonardelli, who made his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off. Birkirkara continued to press but failed to find a way back, with Maydanaโs late free-kick sailing over the bar.
The result dealt a significant blow to Birkirkaraโs top-two ambitions in the Top Six, leaving them nine points adrift of second-placed ฤฆamrun Spartans, while Floriana took another confident step towards the title.
Match Stats
Score: Floriana 2โ0 Birkirkara
Scorers:
-
J. Grech (pen) 19โ
-
S. Marjanovic (og) 34โ
Venue: National Stadium, Taโ Qali
Referee: Slobodan Petrovic
Yellow Cards:
-
Birkirkara: Garrone, Reid
-
Floriana: Mabeya, Jah
Floriana XI:
Cioletti, Lopez, Grech, Varela, Scerri (Jah 58โ), Vella, Mabea, Spiteri (Zammit Lonardelli 76โ), Teixeira, Mendonca, Veselji (Areias 58โ)
Birkirkara XI:
M. Grech, Garrone, Morello, Marjanovic, Reid, Fenech, Abubakar-Ankrah (Maydana 46โ), Lacunza, Micallef, Cross (Busuttil 46โ), Acheampong
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