nov 27 2005 15:50

BIRZEBBUGIA TIGERS vs MOSTA GUNNERS 2 - 3

Birzebbugia Tigers slumped to their second consecutive defeat when they were beaten 3-2 by Mosta Gunners in a balanced match. Mosta are now sole leaders at the top of the IASC 1 division with six points. The Tigers slip to the danger zone with only two points from three encounters.

Schweinbacher was forced to do without three players - P.Saliba, T.Massa and J.P.Barbara - who were missing due to suspension after being booked in the previous match against Sta Lucia. The german coach opted for a 5-3-2 formation, throwing himself in the fray as the team suffered major changes from the last match. The initial periods of the match resulted in an equal affair with no real chances at either end. The monotony of the first half was broken on the 25-minute mark when on their first real chance the Tigers took the lead. A.Micallef, Mosta's goalie, rushed to the end of his own penalty area to clear the ball off the feet of the advancing Neville Farrugia, with the ball finishing in the path of player coach Stefan Schwienbacher, who from thirty metres away, unleashed a powerful shot that finished spectacularly at the back of the net. The Tigers' joy was short-lived as after a couple of minutes the Gunners equalised. A cross miskicked from the left of their attack finished at the feet of a Mosta forward who volleed home from close range. The Tigers' forwards were not in the mood today as they were caught several times in the opponents' offside trap and till the end of the first half they never threatened to regain the lead.

Barely three minutes had passed from the beginning of the second half, when Mosta Gunners took an unexpected lead. A.Pace, the Tigers' goalkeeper, fumbled an easy ball thrown into the penalty area, with the ball finishing at the feet of a Mosta player who had the easiest of tasks to slot the ball home. On the other end, D.Caruana served the unmarked N.Farrugia who advanced with the ball, but the striker saw his shot well saved by Micallef. The Tigers were left to rue this wasted opportunity as Mosta widened the gap. An innocuous shot from outside the penalty area squeezed past the guilty Pace to make the score 3-1 to our disadvantage. The Tigers' reply was sterile with A.Caruana trying his luck with a curly shot from the left that finished wide. Schwienbacher saw his effort from a freekick finish in the opponents' goalkeeper's hands. Captain M.Ciappara was booked for an offence he committed on a Mosta forward, a yellow card which means that he will be suspended for the next match. The minutes ticked away inexorably but five minutes from the end, Neville Farrugia found time to reduce the gap when he connected to a cross from the right flank and beat Micallef for his 40th goal with the club, becoming record marksmen for the Tigers. Soon afterwards, referee Pisani signalled the end of the match, with the Tigers losing 3-2 and the spectre of relegation already looming. The next match in ten days time against favourites Cospicua St Thomas will prove another difficult test for the men in orange, as they try to overturn luck and halt this unexpected freefall towards the bottom places of the table.

LINE-UP: 1 - AARON PACE; 2 - ANTHERO AGIUS, 4 - DANIEL GALEA, 5 - MICHAEL CIAPPARA (capt), 6 - MATTHEW SCICLUNA (14. CHRIS DARMANIN), 3 - LAWRENCE GALEA; 8 - VINCE CAMILLERI, 7 - STEFAN SCHWIENBACHER, 10 - ALBERT CARUANA (16. PAUL CARABOTT DAMATO)' 9 - NEVILLE FARRUGIA, 11 - DENIS CARUANA (18 - MATTHEW AXIAQ)

 

 

 

RESULTS FOR SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2005

 

VIEW BIRZEBBUGIA TIGERS' 1st DIVISION MATCH SCHEDULE

VIEW BIRZEBBUGIA TIGERS SQUAD

VIEW IASC 1 DIV RESULTS & STANDINGS

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