Floriana made sure of finishing the Relegation Pool on top after defeating Qormi 1-0 thanks to a goal by Carl Tremarco towards the end of the first half.

For the Greens, this was the eighth consecutive win and the ninth win in the ten Relegation Pool matches.

Photo: Copyright © Joe Borg / MFA

Qormi lacked Luke Sciberras and Leighton Grech while Udo Nwoko was missing for Floriana.

The Greens made their intentions clear right from the start, testing Qormi goalkeeper Steve Sultana with a shot from close range by Steve Pisani and then Igor Coronado off the rebound but the Qormi goalkeeper blocked their attempts. Qormi replied with a Kris Thackray freekick which was turned into a corner by Warner on the 18th minute.

Floriana forged ahead four minutes from the end of the first half when off an Igor Coronado corner from the right, Carl Tremarco headed the ball home past Sultana.

Eleven minutes in the second half, Edison Bilbao Zarate served Moises Avila Perez with an intelligent pass but the Spanish striker’s attempt from the left was saved with particular difficulty by Tony Warner. One minute later, a shot from outside the area by Steve Pisani was turned into a corner by Steve Sultana.

Igor Coronado was voted BOV Player of the Match.

FLORIANA Tony Warner, Owen Bugeja, Gary Roberts, Carl Tremarco, Kane Farrugia, Joseph Borg, Clyde Borg, Sacha Borg (55’ Luca Casha), Trevor Cilia (71’ Brooke Farrugia), Igor Coronado, Steve Pisani.
Subs not used: Jonathan Debono, Mark Spiteri, Thomas Paris, Luke Scorfna, Isaac Galea.
Coach: Iain Brunskill
Asst. Coach: Gary Howard

QORMI Steve Sultana, Kris Thackray, Roderick Sammut, Alfred Effiong, Joseph Chetcuti (74’ Matthew Bartolo), Moises Avila Perez, Matthew Gauci, Edison Bilbao Zarate, Duncan Pisani, Jonathan Bondin, Christian Cassar (74’ Triston Caruana).
Subs not used: Matthew Farrugia, Gillmore Azzopardi, Alessio Cassar, Dormond Micallef, Matthew Coppola.
Coach: Jesmond Zerafa
Asst. Coach: Joe Brincat

Referee: Ed Janssen (NED)
Assistant Referees: Ingmar Spiteri, Roberto Vella
Fourth Official: Mario Apap
Yellow Cards: Bugeja, Thackray, J. Borg
Scorers: 41’ Carl Tremarco

Photo: Copyright © Joe Borg / MFA

Meanwhile Sliema Wanderers came back from one goal down to beat Mosta 4-1 to join Valletta in third place.

The two coaches could not count on a number of players who were ruled out for one reason or another, namely Ian Zammit, Ivan Woods, Miguel Ciantar and Andrew Decesare for Sliema; Danail Mitev, Carlos Campagnoli and Steve Onyii Chiemeka for Mosta.

Sliema held the initiative in the early stages going close with a Stanley Ohawuchi header and an Alain Faccini effort from inside the area. Following a freekick from the right, the ball reached Alex Muscat whose goal-bound shot was cleared off the goal line by Ferdinando Apap on the 17th.

However Mosta managed to take the lead on the half-hour thanks to a Steve Bezzina header off a cross by Fabio Vignaroli from the right.

Two shots by Jonathan Bajada from the left were neutralised by Glenn Zammit early in the second half.

Sliema levelled matters on the 65th minute thanks to substitute Shaun Bajada who received a good pass in midfield and managed to beat Noel Attard with a powerful shot from outside the area.

Four minutes later, off a cross by Alex Muscat from the right, Stanley Ohawuchi’s header was blocked by Attard and Beppe Muscat placed the ball at the back of the net from close range to put the Wanderers ahead.

On the other side of the pitch, a header by Tyrone Farrugia, off a freekick by Vignaroli, was parried by Glenn Zammit on 76 minutes.

The Wanderers increased the lead on the 90th thanks to Stanley Ohawuchi who rounded the goalkeeper before hitting the ball home.

One minute in added time, substitute Dylan Kokavessis added another as his low shot from the left was deflected by Ferdinando Apap past goalkeeper Noel Attard.

Alex Muscat was voted BOV Player of the Match.

SLIEMA Glenn Zammit, Alex Muscat, Stanley Ohawuchi, Paltemio Barbetti, John Mintoff, Mark Scerri (39’ Shaun Bajada), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (66’ Dylan Kokavessis), Alain Faccini (52’ Luigi Ruggiero), Josef Mifsud, Beppe Muscat, Stefano Bianciardi.
Subs not used: James Abela, Luca Martinelli, Ariel Laudisi, Matias Muchardi.
Coach: Alfonso Greco
Asst. Coach: JoJo Bajada
Goalkeepers’ Coach: Roderick Agius

MOSTA Noel Attard, Ferdinando Apap, Tyrone Farrugia, Bryan Agius (54’ Kurt Zammit)(83′ Adrian Farrugia), Mano Micallef, Steve Bezzina, Ryan Grech, Jonathan Bajada (73’ Samuel Kehinde), Kurt Magro, Alex Cini, Fabio Vignaroli.
Subs not used: Jeffrey Farrugia, John Paul Grima, Adrian Caruana, James Brincat.
Coach: Danilo Doncic
Asst. Coach: Mark Vella

Referee: Clayton Pisani
Assistant Referees: Thomas Debono, Peter Abela
Fourth Official: Marco Borg
Yellow Cards: Mintoff, Cini, Bajada, Magro, Kehinde
Scorers: 30’ Steve Bezzina; 64′ Shaun Bajada; 69′ Beppe Muscat, 90′ Stanley Ohawuchi, 90+1′ own goal Ferdinando Apap
Attendance: 331