First silverware for Mtarfa in club history

NATIONAL AMATEUR SUPER CUP FINAL 2023/24
01.05.2024, Centenary Stadium

Mgarr United 4-4 Mtarfa aet
(Mtarfa winners after penalty kicks: 4-5)

The two best teams of the 2023/24 Amateur League campaign, Mgarr United and Mtarfa, met again this afternoon to battle for the Amateur Super Cup. Mgarr already won the Izibet National Amateur League Championship and last Sunday also added the National Amateur Cup to their honours, which gave Mtarfa, as league runners-up, the right to contest for the Amateur Super Cup. It turned out to be a real thriller with plenty of drama, a match that went into extra time and penalties. Mtarfa took these better then their counterparts and therefore clinched the Super Cup, the very first prize for this young club apart from winning two promotions into the Challenge League.

Mgarr, who started with the same XI as in their previous game with Mtarfa, were wary of Mtarfa’s force from the start, with Josuel Spiteri’s drive turned into a corner by Jacob Chircop St John on seven minutes. However, it was Mgarr who took the lead on 11 minutes, during one of very few Greens attacks in the first 45 minutes, with Jurgen Suda converting a penalty given when the same Suda was tripped into the box by goalkeeper Dunstan Zarb.

It was all Mtarfa after that incident. On 19 minutes, a Kurt Borg header for Mtarfa from a corner action missed target by an inch.  Just after the half hour mark, Jeremy Busuttil sent Borg through, who was however too isolated up front, using his only option Andrea Azzopardi who volleyed high. Two minutes later, Mtarfa threatened again when Spiteri passed towards Borg, whose grounder just missed target. The team of George Magri kept on showing the better ideas and on 38 minutes, a long-range Borg header from a Spiteri cross was saved without much trouble by Chircop St John. In stoppage time, the unmarked Gianfranco Micallef missed another chance for Mtarfa from an Azzopardi cross with only the Mgarr custodian to beat but drilled his attempt off-target.

Just after the hour, Mtarfa deservedly drew level when Jeremy Busuttil blasted home from a goalmouth melee. However, Mgarr immediately restored their advantage when Suda tapped home a neat attack at the second post. On 66 minutes, Spiteri’s grounder from the edge of the area just missed target for Mtarfa, who continued to push for an equaliser. Not much later, substitute Saturday Nanapere combined well with Gianfranco Micallef, who dribbled his way into the box but opted to shoot on goal instead of crossing with Chircop St John blocking. The inclusion of the veteran Nigerian proved to be a real asset for the league runners-up, as the winger brought flair in the Mtarfa attacks.

On 73 minutes, captain Gabriel Mannino headed Mtarfa next to Mgarr from close-range, after a wonderful cutback from Nanapere, giving his team a moral booster. But it was Mgarr who replied immediately once more, with Suda setting up Christian Saint Ebisindor, who dribbled his way inside the box and let go a wonderful grounder which left Zarb anchored. In the 80^th minute, Chircop St John had a splendid reaction on a Mannino volley from a corner action. Four minutes after, Saint Ebisindor hit the side-netting after an action from the left flank and barely a minute later, the Nigerian should have done better with only Zarb to beat but concluded weak.

However, on 88 minutes, Mtarfa were awarded a penalty when Borg was felled in the box . Nanapere stepped up and cooly slotted home to send the match into extra time.

Six minutes into extra time, Zarb somehow managed to block a grounder of the unmarked Gordon Saliba, who was unlucky not to put Mgarr in front. Two minutes before the end of the 1^st half of extra time, Mtarfa were awarded a penalty when Matthew Borg felled Andrea Azzopardi in the box. In the mayhem that followed, Mgarr defender Kane Farrugia was shown a straight red for protesting. Nanapere stepped up again and put Mtarfa in front for the first time in the match.

On 112 minutes, from a corner action, Matthew Borg’s attempt was cleared from the line by Dylan-Douglas Camilleri, with Mgarr pressing for an equaliser. In the last few minutes, a Saint Ebisindor scissors kick and a Ryan Camilleri header both missed target. But at the very end of the eight minutes stoppage time, Julian Camilleri headed Mgarr next to Mtarfa from a free-kick action, with the referee in charge whistling for full-time not much later.

Both sets of players took the penalties well, it was however Saint Ebisindor who kicked the last Mgarr penalty against the post, giving the Cup to Mtarfa. They are the third winner of this Cup as last season it was Senglea Athletic who won this prestigious prize, while Zabbar St Patrick managed to win this Trophy at the end of season 2021/22.

Images copyright Joe Borg