Gżira, Balzan secure FA Trophy quarter-final spots

Gżira United and Balzan secured a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy after defeating Melita and Xewkija Tigers respectively in matches from the fourth round of the competition.

At the Centenary Stadium, Gżira beat Second Division Melita 4-2.

Gżira took the lead on the 13th minute when a Myles Beerman effort from the left was not held by goalkeeper Jozef Spiteri, Edison Bilbao Zarate served Haruna Garba who hit low past the Melita goalkeeper.

Melita however equalised on the 29th when Jean Pierre Attard’s freekick from the left hit the foot of the upright with Michael Cachia hitting home off the rebound.

Three minutes from the end of the first half, Melita made it 2-1 when off a cross by Isaac Zammit, Andrew Spiteri’s shot from the right beat the Gżira goalkeeper.

Substitute Andrew Cohen levelled matters for the Maroons on the 59th minute when he converted a penalty after Domoraud was brought down inside the area by Julian Abela.

Two minutes later, Gzira made it 3-2 thanks to Haruna Garba who received a through pass and anticipated the goalkeeper with a shot from the edge of the area.

Haruna Garba added another on the 76th minute, hitting low past Spiteri following a corner by Beerman from the right.

GŻIRA Anthony Curmi, Zachary Scerri, Rodolfo Soares, Sofian Domoraud (88′ Moad Lamlum), Juan Carlos Corbalan, Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (46′ Andrew Cohen), Edison Bilbao Zarate (70′ Nikolai Muscat), Roderick Briffa, Fernando Barbosa Pereira, Myles Beerman, Haruna Garba Zambuk.
Subs not used: Justin Haber, Andrew Cohen, Christian Sammut, Gianmarco Conti, Sacha Borg.
Coach: Darren Abdilla

MELITA Jozef Spiteri, Daniel Cutajar, Michael Cachia, Jean Pierre Attard, Isaac Zammit (85′ Antoine Attard), Alan Borg Olivier, Luke Mifsud, Julian Abela, Emilio Cornago San Pedro (65′ Karl Mohnani), Andrew Spiteri (62′ Liam Reno Gatt), Fabien Lufi.
Subs not used: Dean Sciberras, Thomas Naudi, Julian Fenech Adami, Andrew Joseph Sant.
Coach: Edmond Lufi
Asst. Coach: Etienne Vella

Referee: Alex Johnson
Assistant Referees: Mitchell Scerri, Ivan Galea
Fourth Official: Slobodan Petrovic
Yellow Cards: Lufi, Zarate, Abela, Cornago

At the National Stadium, Balzan survived an early scare to beat Gozitan side Xewkija Tigers 6-1.

Xewkija took a surprise lead on the 16th minute thanks to a great freekick from the left by Danijel Bogdanovic which gave goalkeeper Sean Mintoff no chance.

Balzan equalised on the half-hour when off an assist from the right by Majdevac, Ricardo Calixto Correa’s low shot beat Mark Grima.

Five minutes later, Balzan forged turned the score in their favour when a corner from the left by Correa created havoc inside the area with Aleksandar Kosoric eventually placing the ball at the back of the net from close range.

On the 39th minute, Balzan made it 3-1 when Milos Lepovic released Alfred Effiong on the right and the latter served the unmarked Andrija Majdevac who slotted the ball past the Xewkija goalkeeper.

Ricardo Correa extended the lead on the 58th minute when he received an assist by Majdevac and all alone, placed the ball inside the empty net.

Steve Pisani made it 5-1 on the 67th beating Grima with a rising shot when served by Correa from the left.

Eight minutes later, Ricardo Correa scored his third goal and Balzan’s sixth when he received a through pass and lobbed over the goalkeeper after the latter dashed out of the area in an attempt to anticipate the ball.

BALZAN Sean Mintoff, Aleksandar Kosoric, Nenad Sljivic (69′ Dale Camilleri), Steve Pisani, Steve Bezzina, Alfred Effiong (60′ Sean Cipriott), Ivan Bozovic (65′ Justin Grioli), Elkin Serrano Valero, Ricardo Calixto Correa Duarte, Andrija Majdevac, Milos Lepovic.
Subs not used: Steve Sultana, Lydon Micallef, Paul Fenech, Neil Frendo.
Coach: Marko Micovic
Asst. Coach: Velibor Kopunovic

XEWKIJA Mark Grima, Manwel Tabone, Sergio Arturo Martinez Villa, Darko Krstic, Claudio Antunes Pavlidis, Darko Stojanovic, Shawn Bajada, Milos Stojanovic (69′ Christian Bugeja), Manwel Xerri (62′ Rodney Bugeja), Halleson Tiago Barbosa Honorato (69′ Gennaro Hili), Danijel Bogdanovic.
Subs not used: Leonard Camilleri, Joseph Azzopardi, Peter Paul Buttigieg, Joseph Cefai
Coach: Jesmond Zammit
Asst. Coach: Michael Buttigieg

Referee: Fyodor Zammit
Assistant Referees: Roberto Vella, Duncan Spencer
Fourth Official: Andrea Sciriha
Yellow Cards: Bozovic, Kosoric