Match Report: Birkirkara FC 1-1 KI Klaksvik
by Ayrton Galea - 29th June 2018
Birkirkara FC were denied by a late goal from a home-leg victory in the first leg of the preliminary round of the UEFA Europa League, as the Stripes were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against KI Klaksvik of Faroe Islands.
Michael Mifsud scored a brilliant goal in his first appearance with our Club and the Stripes seemed to heading for an important well-deserve victory at home, but a late goal by Deni Pavlovic earned a draw for Klaksvik.
The second leg will be played next Thursday and by this results, the Stripes are forced to win or score than more one goal in a draw result to see them through. The winner will take on FK Zalgiris of Lithuania.
Debutants
With a revamped squad from last season, the Stripes had seven new players in their line-up, in which six were given the nod from the start. Michael Mifsud, Arian Mrsulja, Eduardo Dos Santos, Fabiano Campos, Marcelo De Siqueira and Uchenna Umeh all started the match.
Former Nadur Youngsters FC midfielder Stanimir Miloskovic started on the substitutes' bench.
Unavailable players
The build-up for this match was anything than easy for Coach Paul Zammit. The Birkirkara Coach had to do without Matthew Guillaumier, Ryan Scicluna, Terence Agius and Paul Fenech as they are all recovering from different injuries. Kurt Zammit was out with flu.
Tactical Shape
Coach Paul Zammit fielded an offensive 4-2-3-1 cum 4-3-3 formation. Naumovski defended the posts while debutants defenders Mrsulja and Dos Santos were the new centre-backs. Attard and Herrera started on the side-backs.
Andelkovic, the new Captain, was the main figure in midfield, as he was the defensive shield in-front of the defence. Grech and Marcellinho were given the nod to push forward from midfield. In the attack, Mifsud and Umeh started at the either-side of centre-forward Fabiano Campos.
Balanced First Half
Birkirkara held the initiative in the opening twenty minutes as they enjoyed large swatches of possession, but they failed to threaten goalkeeper Kristian Joensen. It was Umeh who went close, when he received a cross by Mrsulja, but he was intercepted by the Klaksvik goalkeeper.
The Stripes had to wait till ten minutes from half-time to test goalkeeper Joensen. Michael Mifsud did a fine action down the right wing, before his low cross-shot was saved by the Klaksvik goalkeeper.
Stripes stepping up the tempo
The Stripes continued where they left in the second half and they began to pile-up the pressure on the Klasksvik defence. Umeh, deployed in midfield from the start of the second half, was the first to threaten goalkeeper Kristian Joensen, but his low shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
Birkirkara went close on the hour mark. Attard pushed forward on the left, before he supplied a fine through-ball towards the on-running Umeh, but the latter's low cross in direction of Fabiano was intercepted by the alert goalkeeper.
Mifsud fires Stripes ahead
The Stripes surged ahead on the seventy-second minute. Marcellinho found Jake Grech who his shot taking a deflection by a defender, and into the path of Michael Mifsud who hit a thunderous strike to put the Stripes ahead.
This was Mifsud's first goal with our Club, in his first shot of the game.
Late goal denies Stripes
Birkirkara seemed to be heading to an important home-leg victory, but their hopes of achieving a positive result in the first leg were dashed three minutes from time by the equalising goal.
It was Klaksvik who had the final say when Deni Pavlovic kept his cool to head a corner past Kristijan Naumovski.
BIRKIRKARA: Kristijan Naumovski, Edward Herrera, Arian Mrsulja, Mislav Andelkovic, Jake Grech, Eduardo Mancha, Michael Mifsud, Fabiano De Lima, Cain Attard, Marcelo De Siqueira (80' Milskovic Stanimir), Uchenna Umeh.
KI KLAKSVIK: Kristian Joensen, Marko Dusak (70' Steinbjorn Oisen), Deni Pavlovic, Joannes Bjartalio (82' Ronni Moller), Pail Klettskard, Hordur Askham, Olavur Niclasen (87' Mikkjal Á Bergi), Jakup Andreasen, Boris Dosljak, Semis Hadzibulic, Joannes Kalso Dianelsen.
Referee: Besfort Kasumi
Assistant Referees: Edmond Zeqiri, Fatmir Sekiraqa
Fourth Official: Genc Nuza
Yellow Cards: 45' Edward Herrera (Birkirkara), 55' Joannes Kalso Danielsen (Klasvik)
Scorers: 72' Michael Mifsud (Birkirkara), 88' Deni Pavlovic (Klaksvik).
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