Under-17's Team beats Floriana with second half goals

by Ayrton Galea - 3rd November 2014

Birkirkara FC Under-17's Team completed their group phase commitments on Sunday morning, with a 2-1 victory over Floriana FC thanks to two second half goals.

Thanks to this win, Birkirkara are now sure that they have avoided Section C, and will now wait for the result of the match between Hamrun Spartans Rabat Ajax this Saturday, to decide in which section they will play this season. If Hamrun win, Birkirkara will play in Section B, otherwise, a decider will be played by Birkirkara and Floriana to determine who will play in Section A.

A heavily depleted Birkirkara side, started the match as under-dogs, but a determined effort by the players, with a never-say-die attitude, saw them clinch an important win. Birkirkara were still lacking the service of Emmanuel Galea due to injury, Max Borg who was serving the second of a three matches ban, and other players who were not available for selection due to injury or health problems.

The First Half

Birkirkara showed the best ideas in the opening minutes and they produced the first scoring opportunity after seven minutes thanks to a strike by Neil Micallef which saw his effort ending wide.

The Stripes threatened again on the nineteenth minute. It was good build-up play which saw Ryan Muscat making an excellent action down the right side before his shot hit the side-netting, giving the illusion of goal.

Despite the first two scoring opportunities by Birkirkara, it was Floriana who went close to taking the lead on the twenty-fifth minute, when in a fast break-away, a Floriana player shot the ball past the Birkirkara goalkeeper, but team captain, Zack Cassar cleared off the line.

In the last action of the first half, Gianluca Zammit for Birkirkara had a shot from inside the box ending wide, to see both sides heading to their dressing room in a goal-less draw.

The Second Half

The Stripes once again opened as the better side on the pitch. Neil Micallef had a shot turned into a corner kick on the fifty-fifth minute. From the resulting corner kick, Zack Cassar's effort went close to open the score, when his fine header was superbly saved by Floriana's goalkeeper.

Birkirkara broke the deadlock on the sixty-first minute, when Nigel Bugeja served Gianluca Zammit, whose powerful low shot from the left gave Floriana's goalkeeper no chance.

However, their joy was short-lived as Floriana equalised three minutes later, with a good through ball which was converted into a goal with little difficulty.

However, a determined Stripes' side, had the last laugh, as they scored their second and decisive goal two minutes from time. Roberto Curmi's free kick from the left, found Shaun Xuereb in the correct position who headed the ball in the top corner.

Birkirkara kept pushing forward to increase the lead till the referee's full-time whistle was heard signalling the end of the match, with a result of 2-1 for Birkirkara. A deserved win by a team that rose to the occasion.

First-Eleven Fabian Aquilina, Fabien Lufi, Nigel Bugeja, Jacob Magri, Zachary Cassar, Shaun Xuereb, Owen Cauchi, Roberto Curmi, Gianluca Zammit, Ryan Muscat, Neil Micallef.

Substitutes: Justin Cardona, Sergio Conti, Sean Bonello, Matthew Calleja, Jordan Sciberras, Nigel Borg.

Scorers: 61' Gianluca Zammit, 78' Shaun Xuereb.

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