BOV Amateur League I MD22 Review: Xghajra hold Senglea to draw, Attard and Qormi open gap at the top

Photo by Navlis Vassallo

BOV AMATEUR LEAGUE I 2025/26
MATCHDAY 22

Pembroke Athleta 2-3 Attard
Last Wednesday at the Centenary Stadium, Attard continued to increase their lead at the top of the table with a hard-earned odd goal in five victory against lowly Pembroke. With a 2-2 score at half-time, the team of coach Jeffrey Mifsud had some hopes to upset the frontrunners after the break, but after Attard scored again, the leaders clinically finished the match.

Attard lost no time in taking the lead as, after just six minutes, when Tejumola Ayorinde slammed home after an excellent cross. Ayorinde almost made it two a couple of minutes later when his effort ended up just wide. On 15 minutes, Gordon Saliba had a fine shot from outside the box that was well saved by Clayton Rapa. Attard doubled on 26 minutes when Lesley Cassar Jackson headed home from close range and the Saracens appeared to be cruising.

However, Pembroke were back in the game just two minutes later when Malcolm Vella Vidal managed to conclude after a miscalculation by Attard goalie Zach Valletta. On 39 minutes it was 2-2 when Luca Emanuele Caruana blasted past Valletta to set up a hugely intriguing encounter.

Attard retook the lead on 56 minutes through a fine personal move by Precious Nwankwo who concluded with a superb low shot, the 26th goal during this campaign by the Nigerian. Substitute Staline Degabriele almost made it 4-2 but his stinging shot was saved by Rapa. However, after that third goal, the result was never in doubt and with a victory over San Gwann next Saturday, Attard will seal promotion into the Challenge League after an absence of two seasons.

Zejtun Corinthians 0-2 Victoria Hotspurs
On Freedom Day at the Mosta Ground, Victoria Hotspurs strengthened their second-place position in the standings after defeating Zejtun Corinthians 2-0. The game plan of coach Oliver Spiteri saw the Hotspurs maintaining possession and attacking, while Zejtun remained compact in defence throughout the game, in hopes of nullifying their opponents' efforts.

In the 10th minute, Christian Mercieca saw his shot saved by Zejtun goalkeeper Andy Catania-Gilson. Three minutes later, Ferdinando Apap’s header for Victoria lacked power, allowing Catania-Gilson to save comfortably. In the 22nd minute, a cross from the right led to a Dejan Vukovic header that went wide. This was the prelude to the Hotspurs' opening goal as in the 37th minute, a cross into the Zejtun box saw defender Aidan Camilleri inadvertently turn the ball into his own net while attempting to clear, a classic own goal. This goal spurred the Hotspurs on, and they doubled their lead shortly after through a beautiful strike by veteran Brazilian striker Cadu that left Gilson completely surprised.

Eight minutes after the restart, Zejtun created their first dangerous chance when Kevin Tulimieri fired a shot from outside the box that went over the bar. In the 58th minute, a good combination between Vukovic and Rondinely ended with the latter shooting slightly wide. On the hour mark, Kurt Borg produced a spectacular overhead kick for the Gozitans but missed target. Victoria were unlucky not to score a third in the 67th minute when Christian Mercieca’s shot hit the post. Five minutes later, another effort from Rondinely went wide. It was Zejtun, now coached by Jurgen Abela after the departure of Paul Falzon, created the final action of the game, but substitute Fabrizio Zammit’s shot lacked power and was easily gathered by Steve Sultana.

San Gwann 1-0 Qormi
The early afternoon kick-off on Freedom Day at the Victor Tedesco Stadium was target for San Gwann, who beat 10-man with a stoppage time strike by Nahuel Velasquez. A surprise victory for the Saints and a real setback for Qormi, who now trail the Hotspurs by five points. With four matches left to play, their promotion hopes have now vanished. On the positive side, it was the first match for Kevin Borg-Degiorgio in charge of San Gwann as the former Gharghur mentor made a welcome return to senior football after an 18-month absence due to health reasons.

On 21 minutes, Saints goalkeeper Luciano Camilleri had to stretch to turn a cross-shot by Jayden Borg from the right into a corner, the first shot on target after a conservative opening period. Qormi kept on showing the better ideas, but it was San Gwann who came close on 39 minutes when Mattia Zarb’s close-range strike was ruled out for an off-side infringement. Three minutes later on the other side, Emmanuel Garba failed to find target with a shot from around 20-meters distance.

The one-way traffic continued after the change of ends with John Awori coming close on 48 minutes, coming inches close to connect a Garba cross at the second post. 10 minutes later, also an Qormi goal was annulled for off-side. Garba received two yellows in quick succession and his marching orders on 64 minutes, reducing Clive Mizzi’s side to 10. In the mayhem that followed after Garba’s tackle, San Gwann defender Adam Camilleri escaped a red card, clearly trying to head-but Qormi captain Eman Camilleri in an off-the-ball situation.

Towards the end of regular time, San Gwann escaped with Camilleri tipping an in-swinging Dario Aquilina corner over the bar. From the corner-kick that followed, Adam Camilleri cleared the ball from the line from an Awori attempt. Not much later, an Emerson Camilleri cross-shot ended on top of the crossbar as it was still Qormi who searched for an opener despite being a man down. However, deep into stoppage time, Ryan Muscat profited from a bad Daniel Attard clearance, laying off to Argentinian substitute Velasquez who had the easiest of tasks to score the winner from close-range. Thanks to this victory, and with nine points above the red zone, the Saints can therefore consider themselves save from the drop.

Qrendi 0-0 Mqabba
The derby on Freedom Day between Qrendi and Mqabba ended goalless, never reached any heights and was a disappointment overall. For a team still chasing for promotion, it was especially Mqabba who should have done better but proved to be toothless up front at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, losing two valuable points. Qrendi most definitely created the better chances and, although happy with the point, they should have perhaps collected three in this clash between the neighbours.

Qrendi, again without Samuel Saldanha up front, started well with John Agunsoye coming close with a close-range header on 21 minutes. Not much later, Gianfranco Micallef had another fine opportunity for Qrendi but concluded wide from an ideal angle. Mqabba relied initially on counterattacks with both Jairo Andres Viveros and Luka Mijic threatening Christian Cassar a few times but without the desired outcome.

With four minutes regular time left on the clock before half-time, Cassar did well to parade a Luca Bugeja volley from the edge of the six-yard box, with the ball ending against the post and eventually being cleared by the Qrendi defence. Mqabba claimed a penalty in the last minute of the half when Viveros was pushed out of balance in the box while on his way to the opener, but the referee saw nothing wrong, a decision which raised a few eyebrows.

The second half proved to be a disappointment and 11 minutes after the restart, Agunsoye blasted his close-range attempt high from a promising angle. But it was Mqabba who did all the running in the after the break, desperately seeking for a way through the Qrendi defence. However, with spaces opening up in the Mqabba rear-guard, it was Agunsoye who came close again for Qrendi on 73 minutes with Mario Bartolo blocking his point-blank attempt. But match ended how it started however, a goalless draw which did not help either side in the table, with Qrendi still not safe from relegation worries.

Luqa St Andrew’s 1-1 Lija Athletic
In this only encounter at a windswept and rainy Centenary Stadium last Tuesday, Luqa St Andrew’s missed a chance to bag another three valuable points in their fierce battle against the drop. The Saints were close to an upset but conceded with 15 minutes left on the clock to settle for a 1-1 draw against Lija Athletic who, lately, have fallen off the pace for the promotion spots.

The opening minutes included a lot of running but precious little goalmouth action with the windy conditions making play rather difficult. Luqa appeared to be the more enterprising as Lija sat back and were looking for a quick breakaway. The first real opportunity of the match came after 35 minutes when an Erjon Beu free kick from just outside the box was easily saved by Andre Fenech. But it was Luqa who took the lead after 43 minutes when Andrea Azzopardi belted a strong low shot past Luke Bonnici.

Lija started strongly in the second half attempting to draw level, but Luqa defended the opening minutes well. In fact, the Saints had a good chance on the counter, but Andreas Psaila badly fluffed his shot from a good position. Lija continued pressing forward and on 65 minutes, Beu had a shot that went just wide from a good position. The same Beu shot just over a couple of minutes later as the pressure began to tell.

In fact, Lija finally equalized 15 minutes from time when an inch perfect cross by Beu found substitute Lyvann Obissa who easily headed home from an unmarked position inside the box. Luqa came extremely close to regaining the lead when Psaila had a shot that went just inches wide of the post on 81 minutes. Beu had a free kick from outside the box a couple of minutes later, but his effort was central and easily saved by Fenech. Luqa came close with a free kick by Bledi Alla that went just over the bar as the match opened up quite nicely. However, neither side could find a breakthrough with a draw being unwelcome for both teams.

Kirkop United 0-1 Mellieha
In the early afternoon Sirens Stadium kick-off last Saturday, Mellieha edged past Kirkop United with a narrow victory in a tense and hard-fought encounter. The winner for the Blues was scored early in the second half, with Mellieha bagging their third win in the last four games, lifting themselves up three points above the red zone.

The opening half was marked by a flurry of cautions, with the referee issuing five yellow cards as both sides struggled to settle. Despite the intensity, neither team managed to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity before the break.

The deadlock was finally broken six minutes into the second half when Leon Theuma delivered a precise pass to Aron Hernandez, who calmly slotted home with a low finish from close range. Kirkop’s task became significantly harder in the 69th minute after Kurt Desira was shown a straight red card for inappropriate language, reducing his side to 10 men.

Mellieha had a golden chance to secure the result in the 82nd minute, but Alexander Akl failed to convert from an excellent position, his low effort drifting just wide of the post.

The match saw several interruptions late on due to an injury concern involving a Mellieha player, suspected to be a minor concussion. As a result, the official in charge added a substantial 12 minutes of stoppage time before bringing the contest to a close.

Senglea Athletic 1-1 Xghajra Tornados
Also on Sunday at the Sirens Stadium, Senglea Athletic and Xghajra Tornados shared the spoils in a balanced 1–1 draw, with both goals arriving in an eventful first half. The draw did not favour any team therefore, as both teams remain in deep relegation trouble after the stalemate.

Senglea took the lead with their first real opportunity of the match in the 22nd minute. Glen Pace produced a superb long-range effort that left Xghajra goalkeeper Levi Saliba with no chance. But the team of coach Keith Darmanin responded positively and found their equaliser just before the break, when a penalty was awarded after Senglea goalkeeper Carmelo Caruana brought down Richmond Hanson inside the area. Cheyzen Spagnol made no mistake from the spot, calmly converting to level matters.

The second half saw both sides push for a winner. Senglea came close in the 65th minute when Jake Stensen’s dangerous free kick was well saved by Saliba. Lufi’s team continued to press, and in the 88th minute, James Oghenekewaro saw his close-range effort turned behind for a corner by the alert Saliba.

However, it was Xghajra who nearly snatched victory in stoppage time. Dario Borg unleashed a powerful shot from an excellent position, only for Caruana to produce a crucial save and divert the ball out for a corner. Neither side could find a decisive breakthrough, with both teams taking a point apiece.