The Gatorade Futsal League table remained unchanged this week after leading trio Hamrun, Luxol and Valletta won their respective encounters against Qrendi, Marsaskala and Swieqi respectively to maintain their unbeaten run.
Defending champions Luxol had an easy task as they crushed Marsaskala 17-1. The St. Andrew’s outfit produced a lively display with Clint Cope notching a hat-trick. Florin Anton, Mark Zammit and Zvezdan Vukovic hit a brace while Glenn Bonello and Matthew Attard added more goals. Josef Balzan scored the only goal for Marsaskala.
Ħamrun Spartans continued with their imperious march after handing a 22-3 drubbing to bottom team Qrendi. Brazilian talisman Raphinha came into the limelight after hitting the target eight times. His Brazilian counterpart, Michel Melo Jose was also in fine form as he was four times on the mark. On the other hand, Rodrigo Ticz Patricio hit a poker as Robert Fenech and George Frendo scored a brace. Antonello Brincat, Craig Pickard and Owen Fiteni reduced the score for Qrendi.
Valletta recorded an important win, 7-1, over fellow top-six challengers Swieqi United. The Citizens, who are one of the most in-form futsal teams, had Denis di Maio hitting three goals while Daniel Brincat scored a brace. On the other hand, Xavier Saliba and Cristian Cuadros Silva added more goals for the Lilywhites. Diego Gomes de Mello reduced the arrears for Swieqi who had Boicho Marev sent off after accumulating two yellow cards.
Meanwhile, Lija Athletic chalked their second consecutive victory as they saw off Zebbug Rangers 5-1. Iranian international Ebrahim Massoudi was Lija’s inspirational player as he scored four goals while Redeemer Borg added another one. Philip Okowfu reduced the arrears for Zebbug. Matthew Dingli saved Msida’s blushes with a late goal as he came in as a flying keeper to earn his team a 5-5 draw against Sirens.
Mqabba managed to return to winning ways after a hard-fought 4-2 win over Mdina Knights.
STANDINGS: Ħamrun, Valletta, Luxol 15, Msida 10, Lija, Swieqi 9, Sirens 7, Mdina, Zebbug, Mqabba 6, Sliema 3, Qrendi, Gozo, Marsaskala 0.