Ten-man Mosta hold for a point
Struggling Mosta gave a creditable display that looked set fair to gain a valuable point against Sliema Wanderers at Ta’ Qali yesterday, after playing with ten men for almost a whole hour.
Mosta are still adrift of a safe position. However, their gutsy display proves they are up for the fight.
After being slapped with a fivepoint deduction for payment irregularities in midweek, and Pembroke’s win against Hamrun Spartans on Saturday, Mosta started the match in bottom place. They had everything to play for.
After taking the lead midway through the opening half, they were reduced to ten men after Pedro Calcado was the wrong man to be sent off following two bookings.
That sapped the wind from Mosta’s sails but Johann Scicluna’s boys still showed guile to hold for a point in a scrappy and scruffy match. The second half had been a largely featureless affair, notable only for Sliema’s equaliser.
Mosta initially were facing some difficulties against an in-form Sliema side, yesterday deprived of the suspended Peter Xuereb and naming Mark Scerri and Jean Paul Farrugia as substitutes.
Mosta were rewarded midway through the half when a Fenech cross fell to Calcado who controlled the ball before shooting low against the foot of the post and the rebound fell to the unmarked Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza, standing in front of goal to hit in. The goal brought protests from the Sliema players for an alleged offside position.
Mosta kept up the rhythm but the match took a twist on 35 minutes. Calcado, who had been already booked, was adjudged by the referee to have pushed a Sliema player to the ground and showed him a second yellow card and eventually sent him off. The Mosta player involved in the incident was in fact Kurt Magro and Mosta rightly claimed a case of mistaken identity.
Sliema however failed to exploit their numerical advantage before
Mosta - 5 points halftime and the closest they could get to an equaliser was a Temile central header off a Mintoff cross.
They put in Jean Paul Farrugia after the interval as the Wanderers started the second half with more purpose. And it took them less than ten minutes to draw level. They were awarded a free kick just outside Mosta’s area, for a Hengbart foul, and Ricardo Duarte drove his shot at the top left hand corner.
There were chances at both ends after that. Priso shot over when put clear by Ekani and Denni’s effort was blocked by keeper Vella after good work by Temile.
Sliema were unlucky on 70 minutes. Muchardi played the ball wide to Muscat who drilled his shot against the bar.
Mosta were content to admire Sliema’s neat build-ups and keep them at bay on the edge of their area.
Not that Sliema’s shot count was much impressive. For all the cultured touches shown by Duarte, Muchardi and Denni, the Mosta keeper remained mostly inoperative. And when Farrugia netted, on a Denni through pass, the goal was disallowed for an offside position.