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Floriana YoungStars H.C vs BDO Sliema Hotsticks H.C. FT 2-1; (HT 2-0)
Umpires: Anthony Tabone & Raymond Micallef

With this win Floriana YoungStars kept their hopes alive to win this year’s Championship and it now all depends on next Sunday’s result when they will face Rabat.

Although in the first half Floriana had the lion’s share of the proceedings, Sliema proved once again that they have a solid defence in the making. On the 26th minute Floriana opened the score when a penetrating pass by Dalli into the Sliema’s area was controlled by Evans for the latter to pass to the unmarked Magro, who had no difficulty in slotting the ball home. In the 34th Floriana doubled through a short corner when the ball rebounded off Mallia in goal only for Magro to be at hand to notch his second.
On the 41st minute Floriana lost Magro, red carded. This dismissal seemed to have affected his side with Sliema taking advantage of the one man up situation, and were now moving more forward to start threatening the Floriana goal. On the 56th Sliema pulled one back from a short corner when the young Ryan Dalli squeezed the ball in between Mizzi and the upright.

Sliema tried to salvage a point however Floriana kept their cool to bag the two points at stake.

Ta’ Soldi Rabat Depiro H.C. vs Pasta Poiatti Qormi H.C. FT 2-1; (HT 1-1)
Umpires: Reno Cremona & Manuel Imbroll

Following last Sundays debacle at the hands of Sliema, Rabat knew too well that only maximum points sufficed to keep them in the running for an eight consecutive championship.

The men from Rabat went out straight on the attack and by the 10th they had already forced three short corners, and it was from the third when they opened the score. A Charlot Antonelli hit at goal was partially stopped by the Qormi defence, only for the ball to end in Branko Radojovic’s path for him to slam the ball home. With this goal Qormi seemed to shed their initial stage fright and started to function better. It had to be Ian Azzopardi in Rabat’s goal to deny Magri on two occasions between the 19th and 24th to equalize. On the 25th Magri again was denied however this time by the upright after receiving a pass from Steve Tanti. But Qormi’s persistence paid dividends when a long pass from Jonathan Aquilina into the Rabat circle was picked up by Keith Calleja who beat Azzopardi with an angled hit.

In the second half Qormi again took the upper hand and on the 42nd could have doubled through Jonathan Borg but his effort was well saved by Azzopardi. Other chances came Qormi’s way but both Keith Calleja and Jonathan Aquilina failed to conclude. For these misses Qormi paid the prize. For in one of their rare attacks Rabat won a short corner from which Kevin Micallef beat Chircop to seal the game in Rabat’s favour and reopen the race for the championship.

Now Rabat will be meeting Floriana next Sunday in another top of the table clash.