Stripes stun Vittoriosa and advance to fourth round

by Ayrton Galea - 28th November 2013

Birkirkara FC survived an early scare and went ahead to defeat Vittoriosa Stars FC with a score of 4-1, to book their place in the fourth round of the U*BET FA Trophy. The comeback was no mean feat as Birkirkara had a player sent off.

Oscar Guerrero's strike just past the fifteenth minute mark was a cold shower for the Stripes, who started fearing yet another early exit from this competition. However, this was not to be, as their resilient character shone through and they turned the game in their favour with two goals in the first half.

The controversial sending off of Edward Herrera twenty minutes in the second-half tested Birkirkara's attitude, as the episode could have changed the rhythm of the match. However the Stripes not only kept their one goal advantage, but they showed their superiority by adding another two goals to seal the issue.

Terence Vella had another fantastic match, as after netting two goals last Saturday, he added another two goals in this match, to repay Mr. Paul Zammit's faith in him. Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery products Ryan Scicluna and Ryan Camenzuli also put their names on the score sheet.

Mr. Paul Zammit opted for a 3-5-2 formation. Zach Muscat made his return to the starting-eleven after serving a one match ban, while Frank Temile was omitted. In a last second change, Mattheus Bissi had to replace Alejandro Mendoza who suffered a minor injury while already at the stadium.

The Stripes had to do once again without the services of Rowen Muscat and Shola Shodiya, both sidelined with injuries. Despite still not being in the best condition, Gareth Sciberras was once again with the 18-men squad.

The First Half

The match opened on a balanced note, however, the Stripes did not take long to start showing their superiority.

The persistent pressure by Terence Vella led to the Vittoriosa goalkeeper, Sean Cini to a desperate clearance on the third minute. The ball fell in Ryan Scicluna's path, who tried his luck from distance, but Cini was quick to recover and parried the ball.

Ryan Scicluna was in action again on the seventh minute. He served Jhonnattann Benites whose drive was turned into a corner kick.

The Stripes could have taken the lead on the fourteenth minute. Joseph Zerafa made a quick combination with Terence Vella who saw his shot turned into a corner kick by Cini.

Against the run of the player, it was Vittoriosa that took the lead. From the corner kick, Vittoriosa produced a swift counterattack. Marco Teruel sent an excellent pass which found Oscar Guerrero who placed the ball at the back of the net past the onrushing Justin Haber.

The Stripes were shocked, but the goal by the newly promoted side seemed to be a wake up call for them.

They made their first reaction on the twentieth minute when Paul Fenech tried his luck with a shot from outside the area which was parried without particular difficulty by goalkeeper Cini.

Hardly a minute later the Stripes created their best opportunity till then. Jhonnattann Benites found space to hit a powerful drive from inside the box but his shot was turned into a corner kick, thanks to a fine save by Cini.

The Stripes continued to dominate, as Vittoriosa were hardly given a chance to get out of their own half. Joseph Zerafa made a fine surging run on the left side before his first-post cross was met with a brilliant back-heel by Jhonnattann Benites but an alert Cini neutralised his effort.

Close to the half-hour mark, Paul Fenech sent a perfect pass in the direction of Terence Vella, who from close range should have had an easy task to conclude, but Michael Camilleri made a decisive flick and deflected the ball into a corner kick.

With the Stripes all over their opponents, their efforts finally produced the equaliser. Jhonnattann Benites' corner on the thirty-third minute caused chaos inside the Stars' box with Ryan Scicluna firing home from close range.

The Stripes, boosted by the equaliser, were quick to turn the match in their favour. Just three minutes later, Edward Herrera set one of his typical accurate crosses, with Terence Vella beating Cini with a placed volley.

The Stripes stayed in total control of the match, and they could have easily increased the lead one minute from half time. Paul Fenech's cross saw Jhonnattann Benites beating the offside trap but all alone against Cini, his diagonal drive ended wide.

The half-time whistle by Referee Fyodor Zammit saw the Stripes leading with two goals to one.

The Second Half

The story in the second half did not change much in the opening stages, as the Stripes continued where they had left off.

In the Stripes' first scoring opportunity of the second half on the fifty-third minute, Jhonnattann Benites had a direct free-kick turned into a corner kick.

Birkirkara suffered a drawback ten minutes in the second half, as Referee Fyodor Zammit adjudicated Edward Herrera to have pushed the advancing Omoboy Ebiesuwa. To the surprise of most, the referee showed Herrera a straight red card, among harsh protests from the Birkirkara clan.

However, Vittoriosa still struggled to get out of their half, as the Stripes remained tactically organised and continued to be superior. Following a cross by Paul Fenech, Jhonnattann Benites could have eased Birkirkara's nerves but his firm drive smashed against the crossbar.

Terence Vella netted his second goal on the sixty-fourth minute. Jhonnattann Benites, who was being a torment on the right side, delivered a low cross inside the box, with Vella calmly controlling the ball and slotting past Cini.

While still celebrating his goal, Terence Vella was replaced by Ryan Camenzuli, with Mr. Paul Zammit switching his formation to a 4-4-1.

With two goals up, the Stripes were still seeking to seal the match, and they did not hesitate. Twenty minutes from the end, they hit Vittoriosa with the fourth goal to build a comfortable three goal lead.

The surging runs of Jhonnattann Benites were a constant torment to the Stars, and it was him that set up another fine low cross from the right. Ryan Camenzuli, who was been included just five minutes earlier, hit home from close range.

Three goals down and struggling to find their feet, Vittoriosa were stunned. The Stars threw in the towel and they failed to produce any sort of reaction.

Mr. Paul Zammit effected his last two changes on the seventy-eight minute as he included Reuben Gauci for the first time this season, to replace Justin Haber. In the other substitution, Frank Temile replaced Jhonnattann Benites.

Frank Temile was quick to make an impact, as the fast Nigerian forward dribbled past a defender on the eighty-fourth minute but his last touch was too long, with Cini rushing out to neutralise the effort.

The same player could have made them five on the ninetieth minute. Paul Fenech's cross once again was lobbed perfectly over the Stars defence, but Temile saw his conclusion drifting wide of the right post.

Referee Fyodor Zammit's full time whistle found the Stripes booking their place to the next round. Birkirkara will now face St. Andrew's in the fourth round match, which is scheduled to be played between the 18th and the 22nd January 2014.

BIRKIRKARA: Justin Haber (76' Reuben Gauci), Zach Muscat, Matheus Bissi, Nikola Vukanac, Edward Herrera, Joseph Zerafa, Paul Fenech, Daniel Zerafa, Ryan Scicluna, Terence Vella (65' Ryan Camenzuli), Jhonnattann Benites (76' Frank Temile).

VITTORIOSA: Sean Cini, Adam Spiteri (67' Clive Spiteri), Marcio Teruel, Ryan Mifsud, Marcelo Pereira, Lucas Ramon Dos Santos, Michael Camilleri, Malcolm Buttigieg, Oscar Guerrero, Omoboy Ebiesuwa (70' Siraj Arab), Clive Brincat (73' Justin Camilleri).

Scorers: 35' Ryan Scicluna, 37' Terence Vella, 65' Terence Vella, 70' Ryan Camenzuli (Birkirkara), 15' Oscar Guerrero.

comments powered by Disqus