BOV Premier League - Senglea Athletic FC 0-2 Birkirkara FC

by Ayrton Galea - 17th December 2018

Birkirkara FC registered their third consecutive victory in the BOV Premier League on Sunday afternoon, when in a match that they dominated from start to finish, they defeated bottom-placed Senglea Athletic FC with a 2-0 score.

Cain Attard and Jake Grech, with the latter was also voted the BOV Player of the Match for the second consecutive match, scored a goal in each half as the Stripes overcome the challenge of Senglea Athletic to finish the year on a high.

Coach Paul Zammit made two changes from last week's victory. Mislav Andelkovic fully recovered from a minor injury and replaced Petar Orlandic, while Michael Mifsud, who was set to start the last match, replaced Carlos Chavarria.

The Birkirkara Coach kept on his tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1 formation, but made several alternations in his offensive side. Jake Grech started in an unusual right-wing position as Guillaumier started in-front of the midfield duo. On the other hand, Mifsud started this match as centre-forward.

The First Half

The Stripes made their intentions clear right from the start. They went close on an early lead after just seven minutes, when Kurt Zammit sent a fine cross on the second post in the path of Paul Fenech, but the latter's shot ended wide.

Birkirkara went close again on the eleventh minute with a fine action. Andelkovic served Marcelo who avoided his marker and hit a powerful low shot that forced goalkeeper Geza Bence Perger to dive full stretch and turn the ball into a corner kick.

The Stripes' powerful start paid off with the opening goal on the thirteenth minute. Jake Grech delivered a well-taken corner kick on the first post and Cain Attard connected perfectly as his well-executed effort hit past Perger.

Boosted by an early goal, Birkirkara remained in control. They went close to double the lead on the twenty-second minute when Kurt Zammit delivered an accurate cross on the second post to the path of Guillaumier who hit over from a tight-angle.

The Stripes were all over their opponents. They produced another fine scoring-opportunity on the twenty-sixth minute when Guillaumier served Grech on the right, and the latter hit a powerful low shot that was blocked by Perger. Moments later, Grech's shot ended over off a cross by Attard.

Birkirkara went close to double their lead with another action from a corner kick. Grech's cross was deflected by Attard towards Dos Santos and the latter's powerful header was turned into a corner kick by Perger. Fenech's shot was turned into another corner by the Senglea goalkeeper.

The Stripes lost a golden opportunity on the thirty-eighth minute. Marcelo did fine footwork down the left flank before sending an inch-perfect low cross but Guillaumier and Grech both failed to conclude from close-range.

The Second Half

The Stripes continued where they left in the first half. They produced a rapid counter-attack that saw Paul Fenech steer forward before serving Jake Grech who had a powerful low shot from inside the box blocked by Perger.

However Grech was not denied hardly as minute later, as the Stripes made their superiority count and doubled their lead. Marcelo's inch-perfect low cross found Grech who hit home from close-range. This was his second goal in two matches for the technical midfielder.

Senglea managed to create their first sort of scoring chance on the fifty-fifth minute when following a combination of short passes, Augusto Rene Caseras dashed inside the box, but the ball was deflected into a corner kick.

Grech and Attard combined well in another corner-action just past the half-hour mark. Grech's delivery on the first post saw Attard who hit a fine header, but this time his effort ended just over the bar.

Guillaumier served Marcelo and the Brazilian rapid forward's fine first-time shot was saved by Perger on the sixty-seventh minute, while two minutes later, Paul Fenech made a fine solo action but his shot from outside the box ended over.

Coach Paul Zammit utilised his first two substitutions on the seventy-sixth minute when he introduced Terence Agius and Myles Beerman as they replaced Jake Grech and Matthew Guillaumier. Both players received a standing ovation for a very satisfactory performance.

The Stripes almost put the match beyond any doubt ten minutes from time. Marcelo was the provider once again with another low cross that found substitute Terence Agius who had his first-time shot ending wide.

Late in the match, the Birkirkara Coach handed Under-19's Team player Jordan Sciberras the debut with the Senior Team.

SENGLEA ATHLETIC: Geza Bence Perger, Dylan Micallef, Ferdinando Salati, Braian Alexis Volpini, Imanol Gonzalez Benac, Zachary Cassar, Matias Nicolas Garcia, Augusto Renece Caserers, Karl Cutajar, Larsson Mallia (89' Rayson Vella), Andre' White.

BIRKIRKARA: Kristijan Naumovski, Danilo Chapoval, Matthew Guillaumier (76' Myles Beerman), Mislav Andelkovic, Paul Fenech (90' Jordan Sciberras), Jake Grech (76' Terence Agius), Kurt Zammit, Eduardo Dos Santos, Michael Mifsud, Cain Attard, Marcelo Henrique.

Referee: Ishmael Barbara.
Assistant Referees: Edward Spiteri, Duncan Spencer.
Fourth Official: Mario Apap.

Yellow Cards: None.

Scorers: 13' Cain Attard, 49' Jake Grech.

BOV Player of the Match: Jake Grech (Birkirkara).

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