Birkirkara claim the Charles Abela Memorial Cup

by Ayrton Galea - 30th December 2010

Birkirkara claimed the Charles Abela Memorial Cup yesterday night in a triangular tournament which was held at the Mosta Ground.

Mr. Zammit utilised all the players for this tournament, and he also introduced two new youngsters, namely Ryan Camenzuli and Roderick Taliana who are both sixteen years old, and they left a good impression.

Birkirkara opened the tournament in a match against Zejtun Corinthians and as expected, 'The Stripes' were the best team in the field and had no difficulty to beat the current 3rd division champions with a comfortable 4-0 result.

'The Stripes' opened well and on the 3rd minute they hit the post when a cross from the right which seemed too long for Emiliano Lattes, but he had a different opinion and his angled shot hit the left post, with the goalie then saving the ball after it was still in the field.

On the 5th minute, Birkirkara tried their luck from a long-distance shot that ended wide.

One minute later, it was Zejtun's turn as they tried their luck but the ball ended wide.

Birkirkara opened the score on the 10th minute when a cross from the youngster, Ryan Camenzuli was headed well by Alan Tabone to open the score.

On the 17th minute, a free-kick in favour of Zejtun was deflected and ended wide.

Zejtun tried their luck again with a shot on the 20th minute and once again it ended wide.

Emiliano's shot from the right was parried by the goalkeeper on the 20th minute and one minute later, the Argentine's shot ended wide.

Birkirkara increased the lead on the 27th minute when a beautiful cross from the left was perfectly met by Karl Pulo to make them 2-0.

Two became three hardly a minute later, when Alan Tabone scored a splendid goal from a free-kick which ended in the left top corner to continue increasing the lead for the yellow-reds.

On the 33rd minute, Birkirkara tried their luck but the Corinthians goalkeeper neutralised.

Two minutes later, a shot from Emiliano Lattes was turned into a corner, and from the resulting corner kick Birkirkara made them 4-0. The corner kick was taken from the right and it seemed to be cleared but Karl Pulo shot a powerful volley a scored a wonderful goal to make them 4-0.

Pulo was in action again on the 40th minute but this time his shot ended wide.

The referee blew the final whistle as the time marked the 45th minute and the match ended in a 4-0 score line for the Maltese current champions.

In the second game, Zejtun Corinthians managed to beat Mosta with a late goal as they defeated the hosts with a 2-1 score line.

In the third and final match, Birkirkara were defeated by Mosta in the penalty shoot-out after the score was still goalless till the 45th minute.

It was a less entertaining game than the game against Zejtun but no one can say that 'The Stripes' did not perform well as once again we saw a good level of play by the yellow-reds and in the final few seconds it was bad luck that denied Karl Pulo to score the winning goal.

On the 3rd minute, Rowen Muscat tried his luck with a long-distance shot which ended wide.

Mosta had a shot ending wide on the 16th minute.

Former Birkirkara F.C. player, William Camenzuli had a shot saved by Manuel Bartolo on the 24th minute.

Shaun Bajada tried with a powerful shot from outside the box on the 31st minute but Jonathan Debono punched the ball into safety.

In the final minute of the game, Karl Pulo lost a golden opportunity as he managed to round the goalkeeper but failed to score as his shot ended wide by inches.

A penalty shoot-out takes place and Mosta took the lead and Birkirkara equalized thanks to Alan Tabone. Mosta converted their second penalty and so did Emiliano Lattes for Birkirkara. Mosta went 4-3 ahead but Paul Fenech equalised. The hosts took the lead again and this time it was Rowen Muscat's turn to score. Mosta converted their 5th penalty, and Shaun Bajada found the net too. William Camenzuli scored the 6th penalty for Mosta but Simon Zahra failed to do the same as his penalty was saved by the Mosta goalie.

After the match, Birkirkara were presented the cup.

The final standings were: Birkirkara with four points, Zejtun Corinthians with three points and Mosta with two points.

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