Kalkara United continued their flawless start to the campaign with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Santa Venera Lightnings in the early kick-off at the Sirens Stadium.
The Greens wasted little time in asserting themselves, taking the lead after just five minutes when Isaac Abela timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap before finishing with a precise low shot. Santa Venera responded positively and were rewarded on 17 minutes when Zamora Martinez rose highest to head home an excellent equaliser.
The Lightnings almost completed the turnaround two minutes later, but Martinez’s powerful run ended with a shot well saved by Kalkara goalkeeper Liam Lagana. Kalkara replied on 26 minutes through Perez Jimenez, whose effort was blocked, and came agonisingly close to retaking the lead early in the second half when Abela’s strike crashed against the crossbar.
Kalkara finally regained the advantage on 55 minutes after Perez Jimenez was brought down inside the area, with the Colombian forward confidently converting the resulting penalty. The visitors appeared to seal the points on 68 minutes when Jean Claude Annati was left unmarked to tap in from close range.
Santa Venera refused to give up and reduced the deficit two minutes from time with a superb header by Andre’ Mallia from a corner, but Kalkara held firm in the closing stages to record their seventh consecutive league win.
Belhadj Strike Lifts Ta’ Xbiex Past Marsaskala
Ta’ Xbiex strengthened their promotion push with a narrow 1–0 victory over Marsaskala, building on their recent win against Gharghur.
Marsaskala created the first opportunity of the match on seven minutes when Vivi-Gaetan Mahop tested Ta’ Xbiex goalkeeper Brandon Debono, who reacted well to keep out the effort. Ta’ Xbiex responded shortly after with Andre’ Joe Cutajar firing just wide, while Bledi Alla forced a smart save from Craig Sultana as the visitors gradually took control.
The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark when Nathan Belhadj unleashed a superb strike from outside the box to put Ta’ Xbiex ahead. Marsaskala attempted to respond but struggled to seriously threaten Debono, allowing Ta’ Xbiex to manage the game effectively and climb further up the standings.
Comfortable Wins for Msida and Siggiewi
Msida St. Josephs produced a solid display at the Sirens Stadium, beating Gharghur 3–0. Thomas Grima opened the scoring on 11 minutes before Taiwo David Akindele added a brace, netting either side of the break on 40 and 56 minutes.
At the Charles Abela Stadium, Siggiewi continued their strong form with a third consecutive victory, edging Mdina Knights 1–0 thanks to Gabriel Calleja’s goal on 20 minutes.
Goalless Derby and Historic First Win
Elsewhere, the derby clash between Dingli Swallows and Rabat Ajax ended in a goalless draw, with both sides cancelling each other out in a tightly contested encounter.
At the Centenary Stadium, Ghaxaq celebrated a milestone moment as Joao Otavio scored the decisive goal to hand them their first win of the season in a 1–0 victory over St. George’s.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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