BOV Amateur League I MD10 Review: Kirkop hold Mqabba to earn a point, Attard pick up vital win

Photos by Malta FA

BOV AMATEUR LEAGUE I 2025/26

Attard 2-1 Pembroke Athleta
On Wednesday night, league leaders Attard had to fight harder than expected to shake off the resistance of Pembroke Athleta in a catch-up game of Match Day 9 at the Centenary Stadium. Especially in the first half, Pembroke missed many goalscoring opportunities while Attard, who most definitely did not play their best match of the season, took their chances well. The odd goal in three victory means that Attard has now opened a three-point gap on Qormi and five on Mqabba, with the table slowly taking shape.

Pembroke held the upper-hand at the very start of the game with Malcolm Vella-Vidal forcing Zach Valletta into a routine save on nine minutes while four minutes later, Samuel Saldanha should have done better, missing target from a promising angle in the box. On 19 minutes, Vella-Vidal drilled high after received from Kyle Sciberras-Balbi, perhaps the biggest opportunity for Pembroke in the opening period. On 27 minutes, Attard finally had their first opportunity with Tejumola Ayorinde blasting in the side-netting from the left side of the box. It was Pembroke however who created the better chances with Jake Parnis and Weverton blasting high another two possible openers. But three minutes before the break, against the run of play, it was Attard who broke the deadlock thanks to a curling shot by Precious Nwankwo, his 14^th league goal of the campaign.

On 58 minutes, Zach Valletta did well to parade a Sciberras-Balbi grounder from a corner-action, in what could have been a deserved equaliser for Pembroke. But it was Attard, undoubtedly the most powerful team in this division, who doubled their lead on 71 minutes when substitute Nicholas Schembri produced an unstoppable scorcher from the edge of the box, totally deceiving Pembroke goalkeeper Clayton Rapa. On 79 minutes, Pembroke were back into the game however when Andrew Sant kicked a short corner towards Sciberras-Balbi, who unleashed a brilliant scorcher from just outside the area, beating Valletta who expected a cross. Pembroke produced a late rally and deep into stoppage time, the unmarked Saldanha had the equaliser on his shoe but partially miskicked his close-range goal-attempt, to the relief of the Attard clan.

Luqa St Andrew’s 0-4 Qormi
In another catch-up game Wednesday night, this one of Match Day 6, Qormi beat neighbours Luqa St Andrew’s 4-0 to rise to a second place in the table. There was no doubt who was the best team at the Centenary Stadium with Qormi scoring twice each half to push Luqa into trouble. The team of coach Andrea Chircop need to be complimented by giving a lot of homegrown talent a chance, but languish at the bottom part of the table and will face a hard time to avoid relegation this season.

Qormi took the initiative from the start, pushing the Saints back into their own half for long stretches. On 15 minutes, Cadu came close with a well-placed header from a Kyle Mercieca cross from the right which sailed inches wide. Not much later, it was John Awori’s turn to waste a good chance, missing target from a promising angle. But the Nigerian attacker made up for his miss on 22 minutes, blasting home from just inside the area a wonderful rising shot to score Qormi’s opener. Awori himself doubled two minutes later when Qormi intercepted a Luqa built-up in the heart of the defence with Cadu serving the ball to the Nigerian on a silver plate. Luqa could have pulled one back just after the half-hour mark through Andreas Psaila but Daniel Attard blocked the effort in style. Awori could have concluded his hat-trick on 35 minutes after beating the off-side trap but Andre Fenech performed a great save to deny the Qormi striker.

Five minutes after the re-start, Qormi scored a third goal when Awori was released down the right flank, crossing perfectly to Ayrton Azzopardi whose grounder from the edge of the box had the better of Fenech. The match lost much of its composure after the third Qormi goal with Clive Mizzi’s men releasing their foot from the accelerator. On 74 minutes, Luqa came close to a consolation goal when a Psaila free-kick skimmed the upright. On 83 minutes, a minute after Awori missed another sitter, Cadu added the fourth goal for Qormi with a wonderful angled kick from just outside the box, his 249th goal in Maltese football. With a minute regular time left, Awori advanced through the right but his grounder sailed inches wide with Fenech beaten. But by then, the match was long played with Qormi now seriously pushing for a return to the Challenge League.

Mqabba 4-1 Qrendi
The derby between Mqabba and Qrendi on Tuesday night at the Victor Tedesco Stadium was target for Mqabba, who therefore returned to winning ways after a series of negative results, nestling nicely at the third spot in the standings. Qrendi were buoyant from their recent victory against Qormi while Mqabba, on the other hand only drew against Kirkop to lose momentum at the top. Like the Attard versus Pembroke encounter, this match was also a catch-up game of Matchday 9.

The team of coach George Magri started well and had their first opportunity after four minutes with a shot by Jairo Andres Viveros was saved by Christian Cassar. Qrendi replied on 13 minutes with an excellent shot by Godwin Emmanuel was saved by Mario Bartolo. After a period of rather staid football, Mqabba took the lead on 41 minutes. Viveros managed to spring the offside trap and his first effort was saved by Cassar but blasting home the rebound, much to the joy of the Reds’ considerable support. 

Mqabba commenced the second half with another excellent run and shot by Viveros, but Cassar was equal to the effort. But on 48 minutes it was 2-0 with a scorcher by Viveros blasting into the net and giving Cassar no chance. On 57 minutes it was match over when Luka Mijic scored Mqabba’s third with a strong shot for an impressive 3-0 lead. The fourth goal arrived on 64 minutes when Luca Bugeja slammed home into the corner of the net after a fine cross from the right. Twelve minutes from time, Qrendi reduced the deficit with an opportunistic goal by Emmanuel but by that time the game had long been decided. 

MATCHDAY 10

San Gwann 0-3 Attard
It is tight at the top of the Amateur League I with two main promotion contenders, San Gwann and Attard meeting on Sunday morning at the Sirens Stadium. San Gwann introduced latest Argentinian recruit Facundo Bravo (ex-Central Cordoba) up front, who had a quiet match.

Attard were clearly the better team and broke the deadlock as early as the 17th minute when Nicholas Schembri found Precious Nwankwo, who beat his direct marker and Saints goalkeeper Luciano Camilleri in the short corner. San Gwann took over the initiative but failed to test Zach Valletta with the Attard rear-guard standing tall. On 42 minutes, Schembri found Nwankwo again with an excellent cross from the right flank but the diving header of the Nigerian just missed target.

Eight minutes after the restart, Attard doubled thanks to an in-swinging corner of Gordon Saliba, who was missed by everyone including goalkeeper Camilleri. It put Attard in an ideal position as they let San Gwann do the running while leaning back on counter-attacks. On 70 minutes, Tejumola Ayorinde served Schembri who however failed to hit target from close-range. Four minutes later, San Gwann came close when a cross from the right somehow ended up against the post with Zach Valletta alert to save.

But despite the overweight of the Saints, they limited themselves to a few shots from outside the box which were easily dealt with. Late in the game, Attard wasted further chances by Nwankwo, Ayorinde and substitute Nicolai Sammut. Two minutes before the end of regular time, Nwankwo scored a third for Attard after receiving from Ayorinde, wrapping up another handsome win for the side of coach Daniel Agius.

Qrendi 1-0 Qormi
Last Friday’s late Centenary Stadium kick-off between high flyers Qrendi and Qormi was target for Qrendi, a hard-earned solitary goal victory for the team of coach Kevin Ellul, who re-opened their bid for promotion with this morale-boosting result. The only goal arrived late in the game when Kieran Xuereb kicked a long-range free-kick behind Qormi goalie Daniel Attard.

The opening half was a balanced affair between two of the top teams in this division. On 34 minutes, Qormi came close for the first time from a corner-action, with Qrendi defender Christian Degabriele kicking a Kieran Fenech header from the goal-line. Qrendi newcomer Godwin Emmanuel (ex-Vittoriosa) did well on the stroke of half-time, skipping past several players from the left wing before unleashing a grounder with Attard turning the attempt of the Nigerian into a corner.

On 54 minutes, Qrendi were unlucky when an on-target Xuereb scorcher hit the post via the hands of Daniel Attard. Just before the hour, Attard was called back into action, parading a Kyle Tanti header in style. With 15 minutes regular time left, Qrendi scored the winner when Attard awkwardly misjudged a long-range Xuereb free-kick from the left, a lucky goal for the Greens but not totally undeserved. Qormi pushed for an equaliser with Christian Cassar blocking a close-range John Awori attempt on 85 minutes which is as close as Qormi came, swallowing their third league defeat of the season and their first under new coach Clive Mizzi.

Kirkop United 2-2 Mqabba
In Friday night’s early Centenary Stadium kick-off, Kirkop United and Mqabba shared the spoils in an entertaining two all draw. It was therefore another two points lost for Mqabba, who lost a protest to Pembroke earlier this week due to the illegibility of one of their foreign players. Kirkop, in their bid for survival, welcomed the point with open arms and could have even snatched a winner late in the game. But over-all, the draw was a fair outcome of the game.
 
Mqabba came close to open the scoring on six minutes when Kirkop goalie Miguel Falzon blocked a close-range Jairo Andres Viveros attempt. Kirkop replied well with the game developing into an even battle. On 39 minutes, Falzon blocked a point-blank Luka Mijic attempt, but in the attack on the other side that followed, French newcomer Ezekiel Macalou kicked Kirkop in front with a splendid finish. Barely a minute later however, Mqabba were equal when Mijic brilliantly lobbed over Falzon from just outside the box, an intelligent strike.  

Kirkop United 2-2 Mqabba FC - 09.01.2026 - Photo by Malta FA

It was all Mqabba after the break, who desperately were seeking for a goal and the three points. However, the Kirkop defence stood tall, with the Mqabba forward initially firing blanks. It was even Kirkop who re-took the lead on 74 minutes when a cross by Scion Cassar Grech towards Macalou was fisted away by Bartolo but Giorgio Bellia scored in the rebound. On 82 minutes, Mqabba were awarded a penalty after a hands-ball incident in the Kirkop box, with substitute Saturday Nanapere neatly kicking home to level out the score. Three minutes later, Nanapere nearly headed Mqabba in front from a Braydon Farrugia cross but missed target by an inch. In the attack that followed on the other side, Bartolo blocked Macalou’s attempt with Jamie Cassar blasting the rebound over the crossbar with the Mqabba custodian out of position. In stoppage time, Mqabba midfielder Braydon Farrugia received his second yellow card and his marching orders.

Senglea Athletic 0-2 Lija Athletic
On Sunday afternoon, Lija recorded their fifth consecutive league victory by setting aside Senglea Athletic in a rather balanced encounter. Lija created the better chances but the moment of the match was undoubtedly the penalty given mid-way the second half, from which Lija scored the opener, which raised a few eyebrows at the Sirens Stadium. Senglea paraded former Tarxien striker Johan Castano up front but the Colombian faced a hard time against the Lija rear-guard, who were in no mood of giving anything away.

Limited goalmouth action during the first half with Senglea dictating matters and Lija luring on the counter-attack. Lija debutant Paul Aderibigbe (ex-Vittoriosa) came close with an attempt from close-range close to the ten-minute mark but Sean Mintoff blocked well. Not much later on the other side, Jake Stensen headed wide from a corner action which was the closest Senglea came to a goal. Towards the end of the half, Amir Amhamed forced Mintoff into a daring interception at the goalpost which the veteran goalkeeper turned into a corner.

The second half was more entertaining with the game fluctuating up and down. On 65 minutes, the referee in charge awarded a dubious penalty to Lija with Stensen, Aderibigbe and Leon Muscat involved in a six-yard tussle. Mintoff saved McParlands’ effort from the spot but the ever-improving Amhamed was on song to blast home from the rebound. Senglea threw all on attack and on 75 minutes, the Cottonera side claimed a penalty for a hands-ball incident in the Lija box but the referee saw nothing wrong. With six minutes regular time left, Luke Bonnici saved a point-blank attempt by Jack Zammit which should have meant the equaliser for Senglea. On the stroke of full time, McParland was released on the left side of the box, releasing an accurate grounder to decide the game. Lija substitute Juan Ruiz could have added a third deep into stoppage time but incredibly missed with only Mintoff to beat. That same day, Senglea coach Rodney Bugeja handed in his resignation.

Luqa St Andrew’s 0-3 Victoria Hotspurs
On Saturday night at the Centenary Stadium, Victoria Hotspurs claimed their fifth win of the season with a comfortable 3–0 victory over Luqa St Andrew’s. It was a convincing performance by the Gozitan side, who controlled the match from start to finish, leaving little doubt about the destination of the three points.

The Hotspurs showed their intentions early and took the lead in the fourth minute when Rondinely delivered a well-weighted pass to Matthias Conti, who finished from close range. Luqa responded in the 21st minute, but Owden Vella’s effort sailed over the bar. Victoria doubled their advantage in the 27th minute when Kurt Borg collected a pass from Christian Mercieca and beat goalkeeper Andre Fenech for the second time. In the 34th minute, Ferdinando Apap attempted an overhead kick from a corner, but his effort went wide. A minute later, Christopher Cutajar’s shot for Luqa also missed the target. Victoria continued to apply pressure, with Christian Mercieca shooting straight at Fenech in the 38th minute. The Luqa goalkeeper was again called into action a minute later, making a fine save from Conti. Just before half-time, Borg tested Fenech once more, but the goalkeeper remained alert as the first half ended 2–0 in favour of the Hotspurs.

The tempo remained largely unchanged after the interval, with the team of coach Oliver Spiteri continuing to press while Luqa attempted to respond through counter-attacks. Just after the re-start, Nathan Frendo forced a save from Hotspurs goalkeeper Steve Sultana, who was again on hand in the 52^nd minute to deny Andreas Psaila with a save for a corner. Victoria’s first clear chance of the second half arrived just before the hour-mark from a central free-kick by Rondinely, once again dealt with by Fenech. However, the Brazilian forward made no mistake a few minutes later, advancing alone before finishing well to score the third goal and effectively seal the victory. With this win, Victoria Hotspurs moved up to 16 points to the sixth spot, keeping their promotion hopes firmly alive as they still have a game in hand and could therefore come on equal points with Mqabba.

Pembroke Athleta 2-4 Xghajra Tornados
The only National Amateur League I game at the Luxol Stadium last weekend was played on Sunday with Xghajra Tornados producing another wonderful second half come-back against Pembroke Athleta, collecting another priceless three points in this relegation clash. Like against Senglea last week, Xghajra came back from 2-0 down, winning the game 4-2. An important victory as the Tornados, still coached by Keith Darmanin, are back in touch with the mid-table teams and with a few more positive results, could lift themselves up from the relegation zone.

Pembroke started brightly and after five minutes came close with a shot by Brazilian playmaker Weverton that was well saved by Miguel Abela. Weverton had another good chance on 21 minutes when he managed to clear Abela but shot well over the bar. Richmond Hanson had a fine chance for Xghajra on 23 minutes, but his shot ended up just wide. Pembroke continued creating chances and had another good one on 33 minutes when Malcolm Vella Vidal had an effort that was cleared off the line. The Reds went ahead on 37 minutes when a shot by Kyle Balbi Sciberras was unfortunately deflected into the net by Jamie Delia. Tyrone Fenech had a shot that went just wide on 41 minutes as Pembroke were threatening to move clear.

The second half started with Pembroke widening their advantage through Andy Borg who doubled with a fine effort. However, Xghajra were back in the match on 53 minutes when a glorious strike by Shaban Chickh Ali gave Dean Sciberras no chance. On 65 minutes, Chikh Ali again had a fine chance but somehow, he could not force the ball into the net from an acute angle. Eight minutes later, Xghajra managed to equalize with a superb effort by Cedric Zahra with another comeback on the cards. Pembroke could have regained the lead on 82 minutes with a fie shot by Sciberras Balbi but the captain’s effort was brilliantly saved by Abela.

However, it was Xghajra who sealed another spectacular comeback with two late goals at it was Morientes Muscat who put the Greens ahead three minutes from regular time with Hanson even adding a fourth in stoppage time.

Zejtun Corinthians 1-0 Mellieha
The late Sirens Stadium kick-off last Sunday was target for Zejtun Corinthians thanks to a spectacular stoppage time goal by Clyde Bouvet, giving the team of coach Paul Falzon the full three points in their quest for survival. Mellieha certainly deserved better but pass through a lean period as they failed to find the net for a fourth consecutive league match, which practically sums up their shortcomings, winning just one point in their last five outings.

In the opening 15 minutes, Zejtun forced out various corners with Mellieha custodian Mark Cutajar interfering well on several occasions. Mellieha should have taken the lead on 28 minutes when Sasa Glumac sent Cape Verdean striker Alex Sander through but with only goalkeeper Anson Saliba to beat, saw his attempt go wide. Just after the half hour mark on the other side, Zejtun produced a neat attack with Matthew Farrugia’s grounder going inches wide. On 42 minutes, Alex Sander once more beat his markers just outside the box with Saliba parrying his shot and Glumac blasting over the bar from the rebound with the Zejtun goalkeeper completely out of position, another costly miss by the Mellieha attack.

Much of the same after the break with goalscoring opportunities at a premium. On 58 minutes, Saliba paraded a Cody Baguley shot with difficulty, which was one of the very few shots on target after the change of ends. In stoppage time, Vitinho served speedster Alexander Akl who was in the clear but Saliba blocked in style, a three-point save as on the stroke of full-time, Bouvet released a wonderful curling shot from about 25-meters distance which beat Cutajar to seal the game in favour of the Corinthians.