Under-17's Team hold leaders Qormi

by Ayrton Galea - 12th April 2015

Birkirkara FC Under-17's Team made their efforts count on Saturday afternoon, when in the APS Bank Under-17's League Section B, they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw against leaders Qormi.

The First Half

The opening stages of the first half were balanced, and the initial stages developed into a tug of war for possession in midfield.

The Stripes threatened twice in quick succession. On the fifteenth minute a header by Ryan Muscat ended over, and a minute later, one of the most active midfielders, Neil Micallef, had a fierce strike ending over.

The Birkirkara goalkeeper, Emanuel Galea, was brought into action for the first time on the half-hour mark, with a routine save to of a weak shot from outside the box. The Stripes replied just moments later with a shot by Ryan Muscat, which ended over.

Three minutes before half-time, Muscat went close to breaking the deadlock, when after winning possession, the Birkirkara striker dribbled past his marker but his up-rising shot ended just over the bar. The first-half in a goal-less draw.

The Second Half

The Stripes, buoyed by a solid first-half display, went on by building on it in the second forty-minutes, and their superiority was made to count as they broke the deadlock in the fifty-second minute. Gianluca Zammit, who just moments earlier had been included as a substitute, served Fabien Lufi, who drifted inside the box and served Ryan Muscat, who flicked home to put Birkirkara in the lead.

Birkirkara's goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for Qormi, who threw everything forward. Six minutes later, goalkeeper Emanuel Galea made an outstanding save off a close-range header, from a free-kick.

The Birkirkara goalkeeper was once again the protagonist, when four minutes later a Qormi striker raced forward, and in a one-versus-one situation, Galea punched into safety from a powerful strike.

Birkirkara's resilience was finally broken down on the sixty-second minute, when a close-range shot was blocked by goalkeeper Galea but from the rebound, the same player powerfully shot home to level matters.

Qormi threatened to turn the match around with a header that just ended over the bar, but the result remained unchanged as Birkirkara held the leaders to win an important point in their challenge of avoiding the relegation.

BIRKIRKARA: Emanuel Galea, Nigel Borg, Zach Cassar, Owen Cauchi (51' Gianluca Zammit), Roberto Curmi, Liam Reno Gatt, Fabien Lufi, Jacob Magri, Neil Micallef (75' Justin Cardona), Ryan Muscat (72' Ryan Cauchi), Jordon Sciberras.

Scorers: 52' Ryan Muscat.

comments powered by Disqus