Late equaliser saves Tarxien

Sliema Tarxien 1 1

This game between two teams occupying the bottom rungs of the standings was quite enjoyable with the Sliema youngsters showing the better ideas.

The Blues are third from bottom on 8 points from 9 games while Tarxien are in bottom placing with only 3 points from 7 games.

Tarxien fielded two female players, Kailey Willis and Jessica Lee Dimech, in their initial lineup.

Sliema created the first action as from a left flank flag kick by Abuda Muhammed the ball missed the far post by a whisker from his in-swinger.

At the other end moments later, Dylan Debono was fouled on the right flank and the ball was cleared with difficulty from the free kick by Miguel Mangion.

Sliema opened the score on 11 minutes as Luke Zammit served Nicholas Bianchini with a cross in the area and he scored with a low drive past Tarxien keeper Jean Pierre Caruana.

Sliema keeper Luciano Camilleri then saved a shot by Willis after she was put through by Bassam Mohamed.

Sliema were the better outfit after the resumption. Bianchini served Bruno on the left flank and Caruana neutralised the ball from his high cross.

Luke Muscat then served Gabriel Vassallo in the area but Caruana denied him with a diving save to a corner. From Muscat’s flag kick the ball missed the bar by inches from a header by Nedal Guwedar.

Bianchini then dribbled past an opponent on the left flank and served Vassallo with a cross in the area but he failed to apply the killer touch when well-placed in the area.

In the 56th minute Sliema were denied by the woodwork when Bianchini entered the area after dribbling past a defender and the ball hit the base of the upright with Caruana beaten.

Tarxien then won a corner kick on the left flank which was welltaken by Debono and from his inswinger the ball was cleared from over the fatal line.

Three minutes before the end of normal time Tarxien equalised as Mangion was fouled on the right flank and Kyle Genovese scored direct from the free kick with a hard rising shot in the top left hand corner of the net.

In the second minute of added time, Sliema nearly snatched a dramatic winner. A flag kick by Muscat was cleared to another corner. From the flag kick by the same player, Caruana dived and saved to another corner a header by Rowad Benhammed.

L.Camilleri, M.Abuda, J.Bruno, R.Benhammed, G.Buontempo, N,Bianchini, N.Guwedar, L.Zammit, L.Muscat, G.Vassallo, C.Dalli

J.P.Caruana, W.Kailey, D.Cutajar, D.Mangion, K.Genovese, D.Debono, M.Mangion, D.Marmara, B.Mohamed, J.L.Dimech, C.Sant Referee: Michael Pio Cilia Player of the match: Nicholas Bianchini (Sliema)