Intense Battles and Narrow Victories Mark MatchDay Two of 360 Sports Malta Premier
360 Sports Malta Premier MatchDay Two delivered intense action, narrow victories, and a few surprises as the competition heated up this weekend.
Here is a roundup of all the action from SportsDesk.
Hibernians FC (2 – 0) Gżira United
Hibernians registered their second win as they scored twice in the second half to beat Gżira United 2-0.
The two teams shared the exchanges for most of the first half but during the second half, the Paolites created the better chances and after hitting the woodwork twice, they managed to take the lead, sealing the issue with a second goal late in the game.
Gżira had their fair share of scoring opportunities and will rue their missed chances, in particular, a penalty which was parried by goalkeeper Hugo Sacco.
Marsaxlokk FC (1 – 2) Melita FC
Newly-promoted side Melita secured three important points after upsetting Marsaxlokk, one of last season’s best teams in the national championship.
Andre Da Costa scored both goals for Melita – with Gomes scoring for Marsaxlokk – and has now already found the net on three occasions in the first couple of league outings.
Marsaxlokk, on their part, remain without a single point after two games having lost against Gżira United in their opening match.
Ħamrun Spartans FC (1 – 1) Floriana FC
Matchday two’s highly-anticipated encounter produced only two goals in a drab encounter as Ħamrun Spartans and Floriana took a point each.
The Spartans, who had to come from behind and cancel Dunstan Vella’s early goal, moved to four points after last weekend’s victory over Żabbar SP.
On the other hand, Floriana registered their second straight draw after their 3-3 stalemate against newly-promoted Melita on opening day.
Birkirkara FC (1 – 0) Żabbar St. Patrick FC
A penalty late in the first-half converted by Maxwell Samurai handed Birkirkara a narrow win over newly-promoted Żabbar St. Patrick.
For Birkirkara, this was the first win after earning a point in a draw with Balzan last week. Their performance was far from impressive, also considering that they were on the receiving side for most of the first half.
On the other hand, Żabbar could consider themselves quite unlucky to leave Ta’ Qali empty-handed as they suffered their second defeat.
Naxxar Lions Fc (2 – 1) Mosta FC
Naxxar Lions earned their first three points thanks to a 2-1 win over neighbours Mosta.
After losing to Hibernians in their first outing, Naxxar were determined not to remain empty-handed. They created the better chances throughout the 90 minutes – scoring twice thanks to Takuma Yamaguchi and Neil Pace Cocks – also hitting the woodwork twice.
For Mosta, this was the second defeat in as many matches. They reacted well after conceding the first goal, notching the equaliser through a penalty converted by Clayton Failla, but the second goal killed their hopes.
Sliema Wanderers FC(2 – 0) Balzan FC
After beating Mosta with an identical score in their first outing, the Wanderers claimed another three points while maintaining another clean sheet.
They were the better side throughout the ninety minutes and deserved victory.
Balzan, on the other hand suffer a first defeat after earning just a point from the first match against Birkirkara last week.
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