Under-19's crowned Champions

by Ayrton Galea - 17th March 2014

Birkirkara Under-19's Team were declared the Champions of the Youths League Section A for the first time ever in the Club's history, when on Thursday evening they gave another dazzling performance to beat St. Andrew's with a comfortable 5-2 score.

The Stripes were a dominant side throughout the league campaign and after suffering their second league defeat against Pieta Hotspurs, they bounced back by beating St. Andrew's, and mathematically crowned Champions.

The First Half

Knowing that only three points would seal the issue, the Stripes went out aggressive and their possession quickly gave them an edge over St. Andrew's.

Their superiority inside the opening minutes resulted in the first goal on the seventh minute. Russell Gatt De Raffaele had a fine free-kick which was turned into a corner-kick by the goalkeeper. From the corner-kick, Leon Zammit rose high to hit a bullet header, to put Birkirkara in the lead.

Boosted by the early lead, the Stripes continued to be superior and St. Andrew's failed to settle down. Birkirkara made them two thanks to Russell Gatt De Raffaele, who hit home with a fine finish. However, the two-goal lead by the Stripes was short lived, as St. Andrew's were quick to make a reaction and they pulled one back to get back in the match.

Birkirkara remained superior despite having their gap narrowed to one, and just before the half-time break, they restored a two-goal lead. It was Russell Gatt De Raffaele who once again managed to put his name on the scoring sheet.

The entertaining first half which produced four goals, saw the Stripes leading by three goals to one.

The Second Half

With Birkirkara enjoying a two-goal lead, the tempo in the half decreased as the Stripes were mature enough to control the match. With St. Andrew's seeking to apply some pressure on the Stripes, it was the latter that increased their lead.

Midway through the second half, Russell, who was being a continuous threat for the opponents, was floored inside the box and the referee ordered the penalty. From the eleven metre spot, Kurt Zammit made no mistake and he slotted home.

However, St. Andrew's managed to pull one back, before the Stripes sealed the issue with the fifth and last goal thanks to Leon Zammit, who showed great composure to put the ball past the goalkeeper following a brilliant pass by McAllister Clinch.

As the referee blew the final whistle, the Birkirkara clan erupted with joy as they saw their hard work throughout the whole season rewarded by being mathematically crowned Champions.

First Eleven: Justin Tonna, Jonathan Licari, Dylan Aquilina, Leon Muscat, McAllisther Clinch, Andrea Curmi, Shawn Deguara, Roderick Taliana, Antoine Borg, Kurt Zammit, Russell Gatt De Raffaele.

Substitutes: Beppe Jaccarini, Dylan Gouder, Leon Zammit.

Yellow Cards: Andrea Curmi.

Scorers: Russell Gatt De Raffaele, Leon Muscat, Kurt Zammit, Leon Zammit.

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