The Malta Independent on Sunday
Superior Valletta add to Floriana’s woes
Valletta won this derby, shrugging off Floriana’s challenge with relative ease, more than the final score may suggest, to inflict further woes to their neighbours.
Floriana remain winless in their last three matches and have collected only four points from the last five. The wins of Balzan and Hamrun Spartans on Friday, complicate matters further as the Greens occupy ninth place in the standings.
The build-up to this much awaited derby centred around new Floriana coach Stephen Azzopardi, who joined the club a couple of days before, as well as the engagement of new English goalkeeper Tony Warner and former England international forward Francis Jeffers, both included in the Greens’ starting line-up.
Valletta were an understrength side, bereft of regulars like Almeida, Ryan Fenech and Dyson Falzon, who all started on the bench, besides the unavailability of the injured Edmond Agius and Ian Azzopardi.
But Valletta had a better game plan. Michael Mifsud was deployed wide on the right flank, stretching the Floriana defence and creating more space in the middle for the advanced Joao Gabriel , as well as Barbosa and Bajada behind him, to exploit.
Michael Mifsud managed to score the only goal, his tenth of the season, that seperated the teams at halftime, and until the 78th minute. That did not reflect the ebb and gulf between the sides, as Valletta’s total dominance, especially in the second half, had Floriana on the back foot for large parts of the match. The second goal 12 minutes from time, rewarded Valletta’s efforts.
Although separted by a substantial ten points at kick-off, both teams went into this encounter well fried up and the first quarter hour was played at a fast pace, with the ball travelling from one end to the other with little interruptions.
Mifsud’s cross from the right after two minutes fell to Denni who went through but shot over. Jeffers was the first to go into the notebook of Latvian referee Alexandre Anoufrijevs, for shooting at goal when play had been interrupted for an infringement.
Less technical than Valletta, Floriana were determined not to allow their opponents any comfort on the ball and harassed them in all parts of the field. On the quarter hour, Bajada found some space after evading Paris but palced his shot wide.
With Floriana retreating deeper, Valletta started to take the upperhand after that although they were too erratic in the final third. Gabriel, Caruana and Mifsud were too profligate before the leaders managed to break the deadlock past the half hour. Barbosa played a perfect, deep, splitting pass wide on the right for Michael Mifsud to go past Kane Farrugia and shoot low past the helpless keeper Warner.
Valletta endorsed that lead before halftime with close shaves from Mifsud and a Denni cross, after going past Pisani on the left, blocked by the defence inside the crowded Floriana area.
Wasiu replaced Alhino at the start of the second half, to give more support to Jeffers, who looked only a peripheral figure in the Floriana attack during the first 45 minutes.
Valletta remained the more potent going forward though. On 52 minutes, the irrestible Denni headed Bajada’s cross towards Briffa, who crossed for Bajada, only to head feebly inside the Floriana area. Towards the hour, Denni delivered another testing cross from the left for Barbosa who served Mifsud to shoot low against the innerside of the post.
A Denni personal effort went tantalisingly wide as Floriana absorbed Valletta’s sustained pressure, before effecting a double substitution.
Ryan Darmanin, who had just gone in for Borg, forced Valletta keeper Bartolo into the most difficult save on 70 minutes, with a powerful drive from the edge of the area.
But Valletta made the points safe eight minutes later. Joao Gabriel took the ball in his stride from 25 metres out and unleashed a powerful dipping shot that beat keeper Warner hands down.
It was more than Valletta deserved for all their superiority, commitment and technical qualities that keep them unsurprisingly ahead of the rest.