Birkirkara forced to work overtime to reach quarter finals
Birkirkara had to work overtime to down a stern challenge from Division 1 side San Gwann and needed an extra time goal from Carlos Alberto Concalves to move into the quarter finals of the FA Trophy. The match was still tied 1-1 after 90 minutes as Birkirkara wasted several chances.
San Gwann lost but they did so in an appealing style, surely not without a fight.
San Gwann’s performance should be acknowledged for the way they worked the ball neatly around their more exalted opponents, enjoyed the lead for a whole hour and survived a second-half onslaught to stretch Birkirkara into extra time after conceding the equaliser.
San Gwann started on top. They were very well organised in defence, intelligent in possesion, with Allan Borg, Kyle Gatt and Ogundare stifling Birkirkara’s build-ups in midfield, and sharp on the counter through Godwin Blessing and Andre Cachia.
The First Division side even took the lead short of the quarter hour, with a simple move. Borg played the ball forward, Godwin Blessing took it in his stride and blasted it past the helpless keeper Naumovski.
San Gwann’s backline was never really troubled during the first half hour as the Stripes probed for an equaliser. Until then, Birkirkara had dominated possession but failed to raise much of a tempo, until Vukanac headed a Scicluna cross wide from a promising position.
They persistently kept wasting the final balls with Scicluna and Grech denied by good saves from keeper Bartolo. Towards the end of the half, Scicluna twice fluffed good chances. On 37 minutes he ran in for Zammit’s floating cross but shot straight at the goalkeeper. Then Scicluna turned well inside the area but his effort went inches wide.
Birkirkara tried to assert themselves after the interval but kept showing lack of thrust in the final third. They badly needed a shake-up given their lack of confidence and ideas as San Gwann remained renascent and might have seriously unnerved the Stripes had somebody made contact to Hili’s insidious cross from the left short of the hour.
Sensing blood, San Gwann coach Stefano Grima introduced Mario Arieta for Hili in attack.
But Birkirkara’s sustained pressure had San Gwann living dangerously for the final 20 minutes. From a cross from substitute Gianluca Zammit, Vukanac shot straight on the goalkeeper, who stretched himself to hold out another Dimitrov shot soon after. On 72 minutes Bartolo could only parry Grech’s free kick from the left though and Fernando Barbosa hit in the loose ball to draw level.
Birkirkara had other chances to kill the contest, but as Grech’s goalbound effort was blocked by De Souza and another finished inches wide, the game went into extra time.
San Gwann started to look a little ragged and were lucky that Grech missed the target when presented with a good Concalves cross.
But on 104 minutes, Concalves took it on himself to cut towards the middle and score with a low drive that surprised keeper Bartolo. And denied San Gwann further progress.