Floriana progress, Marsaxlokk eliminated, Spartans in Conference League

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION 2024/25
First Qualifying Round, 1^st leg
Hamrun Spartans 0-1 Lincoln Red Imps
The local football scene for season 2024/25 was opened by champions Hamrun Spartans Tuesday last week, who faced Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar, starting with a home-game at the Centenary Stadium. In the early stages, the Spartans received a severe setback when Elionay was sent-off after just ten minutes for a foul in midfield on Tjay De Barr. On 37 minutes it was Ethan Britto who curled the ball behind Henry Bonello to give the guests a priceless lead. A minute before half-time, Red Imps centre-forward Kike Gomez was shown his second yellow card for a foul on Joseph Mbong, restoring the balance in the number of players on the pitch. In stoppage time of the first half, Lincoln were awarded a penalty for an Emerson Marcelina foul on De Barr in the box. However, after VAR interference, the Northern Macedonian referee over-ruled the decision.
After the change of ends it was one-way traffic towards the visitors’ goal with Roko Prsa and Wendel Barros producing two on-target attempt for the Spartans. On 66 minutes, a direct free-kick from Raphael Lopes was tipped over the bar by Nauzet Santana and from the resultant corner kick, Eder’s attempt was turned into another corner by the Lincoln goalkeeper. It was the closest the Spartans could get as further attempts by Prsa and Corbalan proved to be futile.

First Qualifying Round, 2nd leg
Lincoln Red Imps 0-1 Hamrun Spartans aet
(Lincoln Red Imps winners after penalty kicks: 5-4)
Despite playing against ten for over 115 minutes, Hamrun failed to produce the final knock to the Red Imps on their home soil. The return match in the Europa Point Stadium in Gibraltar started in near similar fashion then the first leg, as Daniel Bent was dismissed for the home-side after just five minutes player for a foul on Eder. On 13 minutes, Santana made a splendid save on a Raphael Lopes attempt with the goalkeeper also blocking Joseph Mbong’s rebound. On 22 minutes, Lopes did hit target from a Prsa assist but the referee disallowed the goal after VAR interference. Bonello was called into action for the first time on 35 minutes, turning an attempt of Joe Martinez into a corner.
The Spartans kept on surging forward after the break and just after the hour, a Tallison corner was extended by Steve Borg but Prsa, unmarked at the second post, missed from close-range. Despite completely dominating the fixture, Hamrun found it hard to find a way through the Lincoln defence. However, on 89 minutes Brazilian substitute Vitao fumbled the ball behind Santana from close-range from a Camenzuli long ball, sending the match into extra time.
Substitute Daniel Letherby’s attempt from the edge of the box on 92 minutes sailed inches wide while the home-side had a few good opportunities through Graem Torilla and Tjay De Barr, both paraded by Bonello. On 110 minutes, Hamrun came close to deciding the fixture when goalkeeper Santana went far out of the box to clear the ball, with Montebello’s attempt being cleared from the goal-line while Letherby’s rebound skimmed the cross-bar.  The penalties had to decide this meeting and it were the Red Imps who took these better, with Steve Borg missing the last Spartans penalty. Hamrun will now continue in the UEFA Conference League 2^nd Qualifying Round, when they will meet FC Ballkani from Kosovo, starting with an away game on Tuesday, kick off 18h.



UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE QUALIFICATION 2024/25
First Qualifying Round, 1^st legs
Floriana 3-1 Tre Penne
Last week Thursday at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, Floriana came from behind to beat Tre Penne from, who earned their place in Europe by beating Murata 3-2 after extra time in the San Marino Conference League Play-Off last May. It was a deserved victory for the Greens, who however needed quite some time to settle down, showing their true colours only after Tomasso Guidi’s early second half opener for the visitors.
In the opening half hour, Floriana came close with attempts by Jake Grech, Kemar Reid and Owen Spiteri, while the guests from San Marino replied through an opportunity by Armando Amati. On the half hour mark, goalkeeper Christoffer Mafoumbi was called into action for the first time, turning a shot by Guidi into a corner, who turned out to be Tre Penne’s main threat up front.  In the Greens attack that followed, Grech failed to connect to a Thaguinho Santos cross from the left, perhaps Floriana’s best opportunity in the first half.
Two minutes into the second half, Lorenzo Dormi sent Guidi through but the Tre Penne attacker incredibly missed with only Mafoumbi to beat. But in the 50^th minute, Guidi made up for his miss to give his side a shock lead. It was the wake-up call Floriana needed as five minutes later, Kyrian Nwoko headed past Mattia Migani from close-range to level out the score. Not much later, Dunstan Vella rounded off another Floriana attack to give the home-side a 2-1 lead and on 64 minutes, Thiaguinho Santos hammered home Floriana’s third with an excellent finish from inside the box. The remaining part of the game was short of any worth mentioning match action, with Floriana taking a healthy 3-1 advantage towards San Marino.

Partizani Tirana 1-1 Marsaxlokk
The seasiders of Marsaxlokk returned to Europe after an absence of 15 years, obtaining a promising away draw against one of the traditional clubs of Tirana, Partizani. It was the European Cup debut for Marsaxlokk coach Winston Muscat, who can look back on a very positive performance of his team, fitting in four new foreign players in his starting XI who all gave a good account of themselves.
The Albanians, who lost the local Championship after losing the Play-Off final against Egnatia in May, started the match in the best possible way with Oresti Rifa sending captain Valentino Murataj through after just two minutes, beating the on-storming Marko Drobnjak with an angled shot. On 14 minutes, Christian Mba should have doubled, nearly capitalizing on some hesitation in the Marsaxlokk defence but his low shot went inches wide. One minute after, Marsaxlokk drew level from a set-up which started with a Leandro Aguirre corner,  Yuri Messias picking up Raden’s header on the edge of the box, hammering home in style. The Maltese settled nicely after the equaliser with the Albanians posing little threat until the end of the half.
Immediately after the change of ends, Tedi Cara’s close-range header forced Drobnjak into a splendid save. Carvalho Nonato, one of the five new Brazilian recruits in the Marsaxlokk match day squad, should have done better on 56 minutes with Partizani goalkeeper Pano Qirko blocking his goal attempt with ease. Seven minutes later on the other side, Drobnjak made another great save from an Arinaldo Rrapaj bombshell. Marsaxlokk’s best opportunity arrived on 81 minutes when Igor Goularte was sent through but found Qirko on his way. Not much later, substitute Archange Bontsouka’s free header failed to find target for the home-side, with Marsaxlokk taking home an excellent one all draw.

First Qualifying Round, 2nd legs
Marsaxlokk 1-2 Partizani Tirana
Yesterday evening at the Centenary Stadium, Marsaxlokk pushed Partizani all the way but suffered a stoppage time goal which sent the Albanians through to the next round. It was a fixture largely dominated by the visitors however, with their defence being kept on their toes by the intelligent Marsaxlokk forward line made up of Brazilians Alex Tank, Igor Goularte and Yuri Messias.
Partizani lost playmaker Murataj early in the match with a knee injury as he had to be replaced after just eight minutes. Drobnjak did well to parade a Cara attempt on 12 minutes with Marsaxlokk responding through Yuri’s off-target grounder on 29 minutes. One minute later, Bintsouka chipped his attempt against the cross-bar for Partizani with Drobnjak beaten. Seven minutes later, Drobnjak did well to block a Rrapaj grounder from the edge of the box.
Marsaxlokk took the lead immediately after the restart when Yuri was sent through the middle, releasing an unstoppable thunderbolt which went over the goal-line via crossbar, a great goal. However, in the Partizani attack that followed, the Albanians drew level immediately when Andi Hadroj crossed from the right flank to Cara who tapped home at the first post. On 58 minutes, an Igor Goularte header brought the best out of Qirko, who turned the Brazilian’s attempt into a corner. In the counter-attack on the other side, the unmarked Bintsouka incredibly missed from point-blank inside the six-yard box. With four minutes regular time left, Drobnjak came to the rescue once more by blocking a Rrapaj attempt, who managed to dribble his way through the heart of the Marsaxlokk defence. Deep into stoppage time however, substitute Alberts Keko broke Marsaxlokk’s hearts by tapping home from a dubious off-side position from a Hadroj assist after some good work by Adnand Mehmeti. The Albanians now play Iberia 1999 from Georgia in the second qualifying round of this UEFA competition.

Tre Penne 1-1 Floriana
Malta 23/24 Premier League runners-up Floriana signed for the only positive outcome of the 1^st qualifying round in the European Cup competitions, beating Tre Penne 4-2 on aggregate. In Serravalle yesterday evening, the team of coach Darren Abdilla left it late after the San Marinese took the lead on the hour, with Jake Grech scoring a stoppage time equaliser for the Greens.
Floriana started well with various attempts in the first half hour towards the goal of the hosts through Reid, Nwoko and Grech, who also drilled against the crossbar once. Tre Penne could only threaten for the first time on 33 minutes when a Giacomo Nigretti shot was initially blocked and Mafoumbi saving Dormi’s rebound attempt. Tre Penne goalkeeper Migani was called back into action on the stroke of half-time, neutralising Thaguinho Santos’ goal attempt, sealing a steady first half for Floriana who should have been a few goals up by that time.
More of the same after the change of ends but it were the hosts who surprisingly broke the deadlock on the hour. Aleandro Garzia initially blocked Guidi’s effort but in came defender Benjamin Boccioletti, who fired the rebound past Mafoumbi to reduce the aggregate deficit to just one goal. It was game on from that moment, however, Tre Penne only rarely managed the threaten the Floriana box and deep into stoppage time, the Irish deservedly drew level when Grech tapped home a wonderful individual action of Reid. It was already Grech’s sixth goal in the Conference League qualifiers and the former Balzan and Hibernians player is leading the all-time Top Scorers list in this UEFA competition.
Floriana will now meet Portuguese Primeira Liga side Vitoria Guimaraes next week in the 2^nd Qualifying Round, starting with a home game at the Centenary Stadium on Thursday, kick off 19h.

FC Noah from Armenia managed to beat Shkendija from North Macedonia 4-1 on aggregate (2-0, 2-1) and are the opponents of Sliema Wanderers in the 2^nd Qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The Blues were awarded a ‘bye’ for the 1^st round and will start their European adventure with an away game in Armenia next Thursday, kick off18h local Malta time. 

Images copyright Walter Sargent