A great reaction helped Luxol maintain their flawless record in the Gatorade Futsal League as they came from behind to beat Swieqi FC 9-2 and open a six-point lead over second-placed Valletta at the top of the table.

It was a well-awaited fixture between two teams that are having a positive campaign. Swieqi started well and managed to surge ahead but Luxol didn’t lose their composure as they soon levelled the matters. From there on, the league leaders hit the ground running as they helped themselves with quickfire goals to settle the issue. Luxol’s new recruit Dejan Bizjak had an inspiring night as he grabbed a hat-trick while Celino Alves and Carl Azzopardi hit the target twice. Emil Raducu and Frane Despotovic scored the other goals that mattered for the St Andrews side who are still unbeaten after ten matches. Andre Ciancio and Boicho Marev were on the mark for Swieqi.

Photo: Copyright © Joe Borg

Meanwhile, Valletta’s aspirations to maintain their positive stride at the top part of the Gatorade Futsal League table were jolted when they were held 7-7 by a determined Sliema side, a result which denied the Citizens the chance to reducing the gap from leaders Luxol.
It was a disappointing night for the Lilywhites who found it hard to contain their opponents who had new Serbian duo Uros Markovic and Radovan Duric a continuous menace to Valletta’s rearguard. These two new last-minute signings by the Wanderers will certainly help the team climb positions in the table as they showed their mettle during all the match. Sliema managed to surge ahead to stun the Champions who produced a reaction to level the matters before half-time. At one point in the second half, Clayton Felice’s boys established a 7-5 advantage but Sliema refused to throw in the towel and at the death they managed to restore parity to gain a well-deserved point.

Sliema had Uros Markovic notching a poker while his compatriot Radovan Duric, Christian Micallef and Nikolay Filipov added more goals for their team. Valletta, who committed a lot of defensive mistakes, had Brazilian striker Raphinha hitting the target three times while Rodrigo Ticz Patricio grabbed a brace. On the other hand, Melvin Borg and Daniel Aguilera scored Valletta’s two other goals.

Hamrun Tre Angeli came out with a tough win of 5-3 against Msida while Mriehel ESS managed a sound 10-3 victory against Tarxien JMI.

Safi San Lorenzo returned to winning ways after seeing off Qrendi 7-4 to consolidate their mid-table position in the standings.

Qormi returned to winning ways after seeing off Marsascala Construct Furniture 6-2 as Swieqi Under 21 registered their first win of the season when they brushed aside Zurrieq Wolves 5-3

STANDINGS:
Luxol 30, Valletta 25, Hamrun Tre Angeli 24, Swieqi 21, University of Malta 18, Msida, Safi San Lorenzo, Qormi 15, Mriehel ESS 13, Sliema 11, Qrendi 9, Marsascala 6, Swieqi Under 21 3,Tarxien JMI, Zurrieq Wolves 0.
Valletta FC had 3 points deducted following disciplinary sanctions last season.