BOV Challenge League MD4 Review: Santa Lucia, Melita win in thrillers, Gudja and Marsa share spoils

BOV CHALLENGE LEAGUE 2025/26
MATCHDAY 4

Fgura United 2-3 Melita
In this top of the table clash, Fgura United and Melita crossed swords in what was certainly an interesting encounter as the Amateurs built up a 3-0 advantage, but halfway the second half Fgura scored twice in quick succession which delivered an exciting final 20 minutes of the game. Fgura winger Michael Gatt played his 100th game in the second tier of the Maltese football pyramid.

The first quarter of the match on Saturday at the Centenary Stadium was a rather staid affair although Melita seemed to be more enterprising. The first chance came on 22 minutes when a lob by Kurt Bondin caught Yenz Cini out of position but the ball was cleared off the line by Andrew Xuereb.  Quadri Alloinida missed an absolute sitter on 25 minutes when he rounded Cini but shot well over the bar with a gaping goal in front of him. Fgura responded with a header by Heytham Abdelghani a minute later that went just over the bar.

Another chance came Fgura’s way on the half hour mark but Timmy Akande could only blast over from an excellent position. Melita went ahead on 40 minutes when a fine through pass by Alan Borg Olivier found Allionida who made no mistake with a strong low shot while just a couple of minutes later, Karl Mohanni picked up a ball on the edge of the box and managed to steer a finely angled effort past Cini to double for the Amateurs.

Fgura United 2-3 Melita FC - 25.10.2025 - Photo by Malta FA
Melita continued where they left off at the start of the second half with another opportunity for Allionida that ended up just wide. From the resulting corner, Cini fumbled Mohnani’s kick with the ball ending up in the net. The team from St Julian’s continued piling up pressure and had another chance when Mohnani sprang the offside trap but his cross shot went across the face of the goal on 55 minutes. On 63 minutes Fgura pulled one back through Akande who was becoming a thorn in Melita’s side.

Six minutes later Fgura won a penalty which was cooly converted by Samuel Buhagiar. A comeback was definitely on the cards with 20 minutes to go and on 73 minutes, Andrew Xuereb saw his free kick sail just over Gosef Mizzi’s bar.  Although there were chances at both ends, Melita eked out an important win which saw them retain the top position of the BOV Challenge League with maximum points out of 4 games.

Sirens 3-5 Santa Lucia
On Sunday afternoon at the Centenary Stadium, Santa Lucia beat Sirens in an eight-goal thriller which was a joy to watch with plenty of drama. With Sirens 3-2 up, the Blues looked clear favourites to bag the three points but gave it all away after being reduced to ten just after the hour, conceding three goals in the final 15 minutes of the game.

The Lucians started off on the front foot by taking the lead on 13 minutes when Adrian Borg tapped home from a Jean Carlos corner. Four minutes later, Sirens equalised through Brazilian forward Thiago Nonato, who rounded off after being served by Trezeguet Zammit. Santa Lucia created several opportunities, with Ryan Vella saving an attempt by Aidan Friggieri and a Masaaki Takahara free-kick while Jean Carlos came close just before the half hour mark but his shot went wide. But on 34 minutes, Sirens defender Gary Camilleri scored an unfortunate own goal from Shalon Diacono’s low cross from the right with the Saints retaking the lead. Just before half-time however, Hafiz Akadom scored with a thunderous left footed strike with the match going into the break with a 2-2 score.

Sirens FC 3-5 Santa Lucia FC - 26.10.2025 - Photo by Malta FA

Steve D’Amato’s side took the lead nine minutes after the re-start with Diacono, in an attempt to clear, scored an own goal from an Akadom cross. Just after the hour, Sirens centre back Carlos Chaba received two yellow cards in no-time with the Brazilian receiving his marching orders. This spurred the Saints to siege the Sirens goal and were rewarded on 75 minutes when Jean Carlos kicked a splendid free-kick past Vella. The ten-men Blues tried hard to keep the Saints attacks at bay and to save a point but on 87 minutes, the Lucians were awarded a penalty which was calmly converted by Jean Carlos.

Santa Lucia even scored a fifth in stoppage time through Sean Gatt who, in his excitement, removed his shirt which was his second yellow card of the game and was also dismissed. An important three points however for the Yellows, who now occupy the third spot in the ranking, one of five teams on the seven-points mark.

Mgarr United 1-4 Balzan
In Sunday’s early kick-off at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Balzan secured a comprehensive 4–1 win over Mgarr United in a match they dominated from start to finish, with former Mosta striker Stephen Chiemezie netting a fine hat-trick.

The tone was set early on when, after just seven minutes, a low cross from the left found Chiemezie, who calmly slotted home to open the scoring. Balzan continued to press, and in the 23rd minute Chiemezie doubled both his tally and his team’s advantage, controlling the ball neatly before surprising Mgarr goalkeeper Jonathan Debono with a precise first-time strike. The Northerners struggled to contain Balzan’s attacking movement, though Debono made an excellent save on the 35th minute to deny Awosanya Oluwale. Just before half-time, James Scicluna, who played his 200^th career game, was unlucky to see his effort come off the post, leaving the score 2–0 at the break.

Barely a minute into the second half, Oluwale found the net with a powerful shot that caught Debono off guard, extending Balzan’s lead to 3–0. Mgarr managed to pull one back right after the hour mark through substitute Noto Cristhyan Souza, who reduced the deficit to 3–1. Balzan thought they had restored their three-goal lead when Oluwale scored in the 70th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside. However, six minutes later, Chiemezie completed his hat-trick with a superb strike from outside the box, sealing a well-deserved 4–1 victory for Balzan.

Pieta’ Hotspurs 4-1 Zebbug Rangers
In the second Sunday afternoon kick-off at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Pieta’ registered an impressive 4–1 victory over Zebbug Rangers in a match they controlled from the early stages, with Brazilian forward Arthur Felippe once again at the heart of their attacking play, scoring a brace.

It were the Rangers however who created the first opportunity when, on minute five, a free-kick from centre back Gabriel Ventura went narrowly wide. But Pietà soon took command and in the 11th minute, James Brincat opened the scoring with a fierce low shot that gave Zebbug goalkeeper Jamie Azzopardi no chance. The pressure from the Blues continued and midway through the first half they were awarded a penalty after Michael Oliveira brought down Arthur Felippe inside the area. The Brazilian stepped up himself and calmly converted from the spot to double his team’s lead. The team of coach Manuel Caruana went close again when young Sheldon Borg headed just wide on 34 minutes. On the stroke of half-time, Arthur Felippe rose highest to meet a cross with a powerful header, giving his side a most comfortable 3-0 lead at the break.

After the change of ends, Pieta’ maintained their momentum with Renan Bigode adding a fourth, just five minutes into the second half with another well-taken header. Moments later, Brincat was twice denied by the woodwork in quick succession, as the Hotspurs continued to threaten with Zebbug chasing shadows. On 76 minutes, Owen Magro entered the fray as a substitute, his 100th appearance in the second tier of Maltese football. Zebbug’s best spell, but with the game obviously already played, came late in the match when Russell Fenech forced a good save from Reeves Cini, and from the resulting corner, former Pieta defender Christian Grech reduced the deficit with a fine header six minutes from time. While the Hotspurs show enough class to challenge for a promotion slot this season, Zebbug struggle with just one point out of their opening four league games.

Mtarfa 0-2 St Andrews
In the second Centenary Stadium match on Saturday afternoon, St Andrews collected their second league victory of the season against lowly Mtarfa, who remained mired at the bottom with a negative points balance. The team of coach Ludvic Bartolo showed some improvement, but considering the Saints played one half with ten, Mtarfa missed an outside opportunity to at least score their first goal of the campaign.

St Andrews should have taken the lead after 12 minutes when Liam Scicluna shot well wide from a good position. The Saints had another shot on 20 minutes this time by Duvan Mosquera with Mexican goalie Marcos Cortez saving well. A minute later, it was Jeff Jadyn Sowah who missed a sitter for Luxol when blasting the ball over the bar from an ideal angle.

The team of coach Mauro Delceppo finally took the lead after 27 minutes when a cross by Marcelo Dias found Mosquera who headed powerfully home. Experienced St Andrews captain Michael Johnson collected two yellow cards in the space of a few minutes and received his marching orders just before the end of the first half.

Another good chance went begging for the Saints on 49 minutes when Kurt Briffa shot well over. Two minutes later however, the second goal arrived when veteran defender Rodolfo Soares headed home from a corner. St Andrews controlled the remaining time with ease while Mtarfa simply lacked the quality to get back into the game, which resulted into a rather unrefined last 30 minutes of the game without any worth mentioning goalmouth action.

Swieqi United 3-2 Vittoriosa Stars
In the early Victor Tedesco Stadium kick-off on Saturday, Swieqi United mounted a spirited comeback to defeat Vittoriosa by the odd goal in five, securing back-to-back victories following their win against Birzebbuga. Despite trailing by two goals at halftime, Liam Mangion’s side showed resilience and determination to turn the match in their favour.

Vittoriosa made the stronger start and took the lead when Samuel Boakye pounced on a defensive lapse to fire a low shot into the bottom corner after just eleven minutes play. Half way the first period, Swieqi came close to responding when Emanuel Asante’s header struck the post, but their missed opportunity proved costly as Julius Babatola doubled Vittoriosa’s advantage with a fine strike from the edge of the area on 38 minutes. Swieqi, however, quickly halved the deficit through Kian Leonardi, who finished neatly from inside the box just two minutes later to give his team hope before the break.

The second half saw a rejuvenated Swieqi side take control of proceedings. Asante levelled the score with a precise finish into the right corner after a swift counter-attack on 53 minutes, while midfielder Michael Micallef was denied by the crossbar with a powerful low drive from distance not long after. The decisive moment arrived with one minute regular time left when the Owls were awarded a penalty after Fred Kessie was penalised for a foul inside the area. Leonardi confidently converted from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to complete the turnaround and secure a priceless three points for Swieqi.

Gudja United 1-1 Marsa
Orosco Anonam’s Gudja maintained their unbeaten start of the campaign by obtaining their third draw on the trot, this time against Marsa on Sunday afternoon at the Centenary Stadium. Both sides showed great potential, with Marsa continuing to show signs of promise, but had to settle for a point each in a 1-1 draw.

Marsa had a dream-start as Atem Dor Jok, a former player of Green Gully in Australia, who anticipated well on some hesitation by Gudja goalkeeper Glen Zammit, scoring into the empty net. Gudja reacted well however, with Jamie Carbone and Klose Azzopardi Conti coming close to equalise in two separate opportunities. On 26 minutes, Marsa were awarded a penalty with Jok stepping up but the Southern Sudanese produced a weak attempt from the spot, a golden opportunity to double for Marsa. Down the other end, just a minute later, Gudja made Marsa regret their mistake even more as Jamie Carbone tapped home from a splendid Haruna Shola Shodiya cross. On 37 minutes, two minutes after Godfred Sakyi wasted an opportunity for Ryan Fenech;s team, Shodiya came close to put Gudja 2-1 up from a Donys Quintero cross, but the first time volley of the veteran Nigerian rattled the right post.

Gudja United 1-1 Marsa FC - 26.10.2025 - Photo by Owen Damato - Malta FA

Less action after lemon time with Gudja coming close on 57 minutes when Aleksa Zivkovic saw his long-range strike go wide. A player that stood out in the second half was Azzopardi Close, who was involved in many Marsa’s opportunities. In the 62nd minute, Azzopardi Conti’s shot following a good counter attack from Marsa was blocked while five minutes later, the former Valletta player produced a splendid long-range volley which was once again saved by Zammit. In the 78th minute, Azzopardi Conti was in the thick of the action once again as he went on a marauding run down the left side, skipping past four Gudja players with his final finish being blocked. In the end, Marsa deserved perhaps more than a point as they created more chances than their opponents, with Gudja searching for a winner to create an upset, but their late rally proved to be futile.

Zurrieq 2-3 Birzebbuga St Peter’s
In the late Saturday kick-off at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Birzebbuga St Peter’s returned to winning ways with a hard-fought odd goal in five victory over a resilient Zurrieq side in an entertaining encounter. While the Saints hold now a mid-table position, it was Zurrieq’s third consecutive league defeat and can now be found back in the lower part of the table.

The opening stages were evenly balanced, with both teams showing attacking intent but struggling to test the goalkeepers. The first real chance arrived after 15 minutes when Alex Bruno fired a powerful effort from distance, but Zurrieq goalkeeper Jurgen Borg was equal to the task. The Blues broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark through a moment of brilliance from Paul Lapira, who lifted the ball beautifully over Borg to score his 43^rd career goal.

After the break, Zurrieq pushed forward in search of an equaliser and came close through Gianluca Zammit, whose close-range effort was blocked by Julian Azzopardi. Moments later, their pressure paid off when Brite Ihuomah drilled a low shot through the middle to level the score at 1-1. Birzebbuga responded strongly, and in the 69th minute, Jacob Walker forced Borg into a spectacular save from long range.

From the resulting corner, Alex Bruno restored the lead for the seasiders with a composed finish into the right corner. Nigerian substitute Yusuf Sulaiman then made it 3-1, tapping home from close range after a well-delivered corner by Lapira. Zurrieq, now coached by Jose Borg, refused to throw the towel however and pulled one back late on through Jonathan Monney, who found the bottom corner with a neat finish. However, it was not enough to deny the Saints their second victory of the season as they held firm to secure a valuable three points.