BOV Challenge League MD11 Review: Mgarr get massive win, Zebbug and Santa Lucia play out stalemate

Photos by Luke Kirby Balzan, Malta FA

BOV CHALLENGE LEAGUE 25/26
MATCHDAY 11

Birzebbuga St Peter’s 1-0 St Andrews
The Birzebbuga St Peter’s continued their fine run of form by beating St Andrews 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, prolonging their leadership in this division by another week. It was a tough game for the Blues against a resurgent St Andrews, who performed well, giving the team of coach Edgar Degabriele more than a match.

St Andrews began strongly with a low shot by Caua that was somehow deflected for a corner. The Brazilian livewire again came close on ten minutes when he received an excellent through ball but his effort was blocked by Julian Azzopardi. However, six minutes later, matters turned sour for St Andrew’s when Colombian striker Duvan Mosquera was given a straight red card for an off the ball incident reducing his side to ten men.

Initially, Birzebbuga did not really take advantage of the situation and had their first opportunity on 42 minutes when a free kick by Alex Bruno was turned into a corner by Jake Pisani. From the resulting corner kick, Birzebbuga scored the winner with Daniel Zerafa steering in from a goalmouth melee’.

The second half continued with Birzebbuga in the ascendancy as St Andrews now tried to limit the damage. Another chance went begging on the hour with substitute Christopher Baker lobbing over with an empty net beckoning. A minute later, Zerafa forced a brilliant save off Pisani with a low header. The South seasiders controlled the match with relative ease to continue consolidating their place at the top of the table.

Balzan 4-1 Vittoriosa Stars
Also on Saturday but then at the Centenary Stadium, Balzan kept their direct promotion hopes firmly alive as they bounced back from last week’s draw against Santa Lucia with a convincing victory over Vittoriosa. The four Balzan goals were scored in the opening 25 minutes, which resulted into a rather drab second half with the team of Andrew Cohen consolidating their advantage.

Balzan wasted little time in asserting their dominance, breaking the deadlock early on from the penalty spot. James Scicluna made no mistake after Ayrton Senna Azzopardi brought down the same player inside the area. Scicluna’s evening ended shortly after due to injury, but his replacement made an immediate impact. Just two minutes after coming on, Clive Gauci let fly from outside the box, his effort slipping past Vittoriosa goalkeeper Edward Gatt.

Cohen’s men then struck twice more in the space of four minutes, with Stephen Chemezie finding the net with an angled shot on 21 minutes before Brazilian centre-back Negueba added a header to put the result beyond doubt. Vittoriosa did enjoy a rare moment of danger in the 35th minute when Samuel Boakye came close, his shot sailing inches wide of the Balzan upright.

Balzan continued where they left off after the break and could have further increased their advantage. Substitute Jake Portelli was denied from close range by a fine save from Gatt, while an orchestrated counter-attack moments later ended with Awosanya Oluwale firing just wide. With fifteen minutes remaining, Chimezie came agonisingly close to adding his second of the day, his powerful effort from inside the area crashing against the crossbar. Vittoriosa did manage a late consolation goal through substitute Aidan Agius Gilford, who found the right corner with an angled shot, but it proved little more than a footnote in a match dominated by Balzan.

Fgura United 1-1 Gudja United
On Sunday night at the Centenary Stadium, Gudja United proved to be a tough opposition for promotion hopefuls Fgura United in a match that ended in a one-all draw. Two points lost for Fgura, who did not capitalise on their chances with Gudja welcoming the point with open arms.  

Gudja United started out stronger and took the lead in the fifth minute when Joseph Agbakwuru took full advantage of an uncertainty in the Fgura defense, kicking home in style past Yenz Cini. In the 21st minute, Fgura came close to equalising as Dylan Caruana went on a marauding run down the left wing, skipping past Eman Micallef in the process, cutting back to Samuel Buhagiar outside the box who fired towards the bottom right corner that was turned into a corner by Glen Zammit. Just after the half-hour mark, Gudja defender Brandon Muscat brought down Timmy Akande in the box with the referee pointing at the spot with Caruana equalising from the spot. Four minutes later, Fgura should have taken the lead through Alan Abdel Rahman but his effort from an ideal angle sailed wide.

In the 56th minute, Buhagiar found Akande in the box, who saw his attempt going just wide. Fgura continued to search for a winner and in the 70th minute, Buhagiar’s curling shot went inches over the bar. In the 75th minute, in a rare chance for Gudja United, substitute Jamie Cutajar’s long-range strike went over the bar. With eight minutes left on the clock, former Liberian international Adolphus Marshall saw his header from a Karl Formosa corner go inches wide while barely a minute later, Gudja almost stole the three points when Enzo Ruiz steered his header, from a Donys Quintero cross, over the bar. Fgura produced a late rally to score the winner but the Gudja defence held firm to bag a valuable point in their quest for a Top 8 spot.

Melita 3-2 Marsa
On Sunday, Melita returned to winning ways at the Victor Tedesco Stadium with a 3–2 victory over struggling Marsa, a result that keeps the Amateurs firmly in the promotion race. The team of coach Brian Said took a three-goal lead quickly in the game but had to allow a Marsa come-back in the second half, in an encounter which could have easily have ended in a 3-3 draw. Marsa, meanwhile, remain third from bottom with just six points, their troubles continuing despite their spirited second-half response. Marsa defender Irvin Abela played his 100^th second-tier game.

Melita made a dream start, breaking the deadlock after just three minutes. Alec Sladden was quickest to react inside the area, firing home from close range to give his side an early advantage. The pressure continued and, just two minutes later, Melita doubled their lead when captain Jean Pierre Attard found the net with a well-placed shot from inside the area into the right corner. Melita’s dominance was evident throughout the first half as they added a third goal on 13 minutes following a swift counterattack with Quadri Allionida capping off a fine move with a splendid strike, giving his side a comfortable cushion going into the break.

After the change of ends, Marsa showed greater urgency and committed men forward in an all-out attacking approach. Southern Sudanese substitute Atem Dor Jok made an immediate impact, pulling a goal back just two minutes after coming on with a powerful shot that beat goalkeeper Gozef Mozzi. Marsa came close to reducing the deficit further when Davi Versiani struck the woodwork from inside the area, but their persistence eventually paid off. Once again it was Jok who found the net, tapping in at the far post after a dangerous cross from Davi Versiani to set up a tense finale. Melita survived however, hoping these three points will get them back on track for a quick return into the Premier Division.

Sirens 4-1 Pieta’ Hotspurs
In Saturday’s late Victor Tedesco Stadium kick-off, Pieta’ Hotspurs were hoping to grab important points to keep the pace for a Top 8 place but bumped into a determined Sirens side who beat the Blues 4-1, leapfrogging St Andrews in the ranking into a fifth spot. An unexpected large victory for the men of coach Steve D’Amato, a win certainly not expected after a rather balanced first half but a sending off half way the second half proved to be the downfall for Manuel Caruana’s side.

Pieta’ got off to a flying start when Arthur Felippe sprang the offside trap and rounded the keeper, but his shot was too angled and ended up wide. It was Sirens who took the lead after just 11 minutes when Thiago Nonato smashed a lovely shot into the back of the net giving Reeves Cini no chance. The same Brazilian striker almost made it two a couple of minutes later with a fierce attempt that was acrobatically saved for a corner by Cini. Pieta reacted on 21 minutes with a stinger by Artur Felippe saved by Ryan Caruana. On 37 minutes, the Hotspurs equalized with a fine opportunistic goal by Artur Felippe who was by far the Hotspurs’ best player. Pieta’ continued upping the pressure and had another good opportunity when Renan Bigode headed just wide.

But it was Sirens who took the lead again right at the start of the second half when Trezeguet Zammit concluded from close range during a monumental downpour. Pieta compounded their problems when Renan Bigode was sent off on 72 minutes. Sirens sealed the match and points four minutes from time with a cool lob finished off with ease by Hafiz Akadom. On the 90^th minute mark, the fourth goal came courtesy of an own goal by Cini after a shot by Schembri Wismayer had deflected off the post.

Mgarr United 5-1 Swieqi United
On Saturday, Mgarr produced an emphatic response to last week’s defeat as they swept aside Swieqi United at the Centenary Stadium, delivering a convincing performance under new coach Kurt Baldacchino despite difficult playing conditions caused by strong winds. The match proved challenging for both sides, with ball control at a premium throughout, but Mgarr adapted far better and were inspired by a sensational display from Brazilian forward Cristhyan Noto Souza, who was simply unstoppable and deservedly claimed the Man of the Match award after scoring four goals.

Mgarr United 5-1 Swieqi United - 10.01.2026 - Photo by Luke Kirby Balzan - Malta FA

The Northerners wasted little time in asserting themselves and took the lead in the 12th minute through Wisdom Igiebor, who produced a fine solo run before firing a low shot into the left corner. On the half-hour mark, the Greens doubled their advantage when Christyan showed his quality with a superb lob from outside the area that left the Swieqi goalkeeper stranded.

After the restart, Swieqi tried to turn the momentum in their favour and immediately looked more threatening. Substitute Zak Barbara, formerly of Valletta, made an instant impact by pulling one back with a well-taken free kick. Any hopes of a comeback, however, were short-lived as Mgarr responded straight away when Christyan restored his side’s cushion with a simple tap-in following a well-weighted pass from Igiebor. Swieqi, who eliminated Sliema Wanderers from the FA Trophy last weekend, continued to push forward and created chances through Daniel Agius and Kian Leonardi, but they were repeatedly denied. At the other end, Christhyan struck again with a precise angled finish from inside the area to further underline Mgarr’s dominance.

Five minutes from time, Swieqi were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty, but Leonardi failed to capitalise as his effort crashed against the crossbar. Moments before the final whistle, Cristhyan put the seal on a memorable personal performance, curling a stunning outside-of-the-foot shot from well outside the box to round off the scoring and cap a superb team display from Mgarr. The result marks a strong statement from the Greens as they look to build momentum following last week’s setback.

Santa Lucia 0-0 Zebbug Rangers
On Saturday afternoon, Zebbug Rangers managed to obtain an important point in their quest to avoid relegation with a goalless draw against a superior Santa Lucia side at the Centenary Stadium who, especially after the break, should have kicked a few balls against the net. It was the first match for new Rangers coach Billy Mock, aged 75, a return to the club he coached during seasons 2005/06 and 2006/07.

Santa Lucia started the game on the front foot and produced the best chance of the half as in the sixth minute, Takahara Masaaki’s long-range strike towards the bottom right corner was saved well by new signing, former Swieqi United goalkeeper Jean Claude Debattista. On 36 minutes, five minutes after a Sean Gatt opportunity for the Lucians was deflected into a corner, Zebbug replied with a chance of their own as Daren Falzon saw his freekick sail just over the bar. On the stroke of half-time, Lydon Sammut had another opportunity for Zebbug with an attempt from just outside the box, concluding an otherwise uneventful first half.

Santa Lucia FC 0-0 Zebbug Rangers FC - 11.01.2026 - Photo by Malta FA

On 54 minutes, Falzon came close again for Zebbug from another free-kick, quickly followed by a Saints attack which started by Gatt down the right wing, providing Takahara with an opportunity but the Japanese midfielder fired over the crossbar from a promising angle. On 64 minutes, Debattista displayed a superb reaction on a free-kick form Santa Lucia substitute Jean Carlos while seven minutes later, the Brazilian bumped again into the Zebbug shot-stopper after receiving from Filip Petkovski. After chances for Olalekan Opajobi (Zebbug) and Gatt were wasted, the outcome was a disappointing goalless draw, which will certainly feel two important lost for the Saints in their bid for a Top 8 spot.

Zurrieq 1-1 Mtarfa
In the late Sunday night kick-off at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Mtarfa produced a heroic defensive display to earn a hard-fought draw against Zurrieq, in what was undoubtedly one of their finest performances of the season. Reduced to ten men in the closing minutes, Mtarfa held firm to bring home a precious point, with goalkeeper Jacob Mangion delivering a man-of-the-match performance between the posts. Zurrieq, meanwhile, were left to rue a catalogue of missed opportunities, having only themselves to blame for failing to secure all three points.

The team of coach Jose’ Borg made a dream start, taking the lead after just five minutes when defender Glamour Eziefula reacted quickest to tap home from close range. Mtarfa responded almost immediately and were level ten minutes into the contest thanks to a moment of individual brilliance by Luke Camilleri, who capped a superb solo run with an exquisite lob over advancing goalkeeper Jurgen Borg. Buoyed by the equaliser, Mtarfa pressed forward and went close to turning the match around, with Kalilou Trawally firing narrowly wide from close range. Zurrieq also had their chances before the interval, the clearest falling to Jamie Zerafa, who found himself unmarked inside the box but failed to make it count just before the half-time whistle.

After the restart, Zurrieq laid siege to the Mtarfa goal, only to be denied repeatedly by the outstanding Mangion. The Mtarfa custodian produced a stunning fingertip save to turn Jonathan Monney’s close-range effort onto the post, before Monney was again denied moments later when his powerful strike crashed against the crossbar. Despite relentless pressure and a late numerical disadvantage, Mtarfa defended with resilience and determination to see out the match, securing a draw that felt like a victory, while Zurrieq were left frustrated after a night of missed chances.