Swieqi United, Mġarr United and Hibernians maintained their perfect starts in the Assikura Women’s League with victories over Birkirkara, San Ġwann and Valletta respectively, as the battle at the top continues to intensify.

SWIEQI UNITED 3-0 BIRKIRKARA
S. Zammit 44‘, S. Saliba 64‘, A. Kricak 66‘

Swieqi United: P. Araujo; V. Rapa, E. Micallef (S. Urpani 69‘), J. Flask (K. Fava 81‘), S. Saliba (Y. Attard 73‘), J. Burke, S. Zammit, K. Blessing, A. Kricak (E. Csik 69‘), N. Sciberras, M. Conti (I. Farrugia 73‘). Coach:  Dorianne Theuma.

Birkirkara: L. Damont, G. Zahra, L. May Azzopardi, S. Bugeja, Y. Grech, M. Cardona (R. Zerafa 58’), S. Mallia (J. Micallef Cassar 72’), Y. Ghenam (I. Sultana 80’), H. Sekura, M. Ueda, V. Marquez. Coach: Michael Mangion.

Referee: Andrea Naudi

Swieqi United continued their impressive start to the Assikura Women’s League campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Birkirkara, as goals from Shona Zammit, Sara Saliba and Andjela Kricak ensured that the Owls collected another valuable three points.

After a closely contested opening period, Swieqi broke the deadlock in the 44th minute through Zammit, who found the back of the net just before half-time to give her side a timely advantage heading into the break.

The Owls carried their momentum into the second half and doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Saliba scored to strengthen their position. Swieqi then struck again just two minutes later, with Kricak adding a third to put the result beyond doubt and seal a comfortable victory.

The win allowed Swieqi to maintain their place at the top of the standings as they continued their strong early-season form. Meanwhile, Birkirkara were left to reflect on another challenging outing, remaining on three points after their opening four matches.

SAN ĠWANN 0-6 MĠARR UNITED
S. Kabene 4’ 21’, Y. Carella 31’ 52’ 56’, C. Maizeroi 59’.

San Ġwann: H. Ibrahim (G. Muscat 73’); A. Portelli, J. Galea (Y. Deidun 79’), R. Ejalonibu, C. Mihalic (M. Mallia 60’), E. Borg (K. Almari 79’), M. Kasim, F. Al Girbi, J. Ibitayo, O. Taylor (A. Abela Spiteri 73’), N. Addo. Coach: Denilson Borg

Mġarr United: G. D’Antuono; A. Said, A. Camilleri (V. Mifsud 46’), M. Debono (B. Julius 46’), Y. Carella, E. Presley, S. Kabene (C. Maizeroi 46’), L. Cefai, V. Villegas (E. Xuereb 71’), Y. Mendez, A. Grech (G. Antonelli 66’). Coach: Ryan Micallef

Referee: Stefania Bonnici

Mġarr United delivered a dominant performance to secure an emphatic 6-0 victory over San Ġwann, further underlining their attacking strength and determination to remain firmly in contention at the top of the Assikura Women’s League standings.

Mġarr wasted little time in taking control of the contest, with Sylvia Kabene opening the scoring just four minutes into the match. Kabene struck again in the 21st minute to complete her brace and give her side a comfortable advantage as they continued to dictate proceedings.

Yulya Carella then stole the spotlight with an outstanding individual performance, finding the net in the 31st minute before adding two more goals shortly after the interval. Her strikes in the 52nd and 56th minutes completed an impressive hat-trick and extended Mġarr’s lead to five goals.

Substitute Chaina Maizeroi added further gloss to the scoreline in the 59th minute, rounding off a commanding display from Mġarr, who collected another valuable three points to keep pace with their title rivals.

For San Ġwann, the result marked another difficult afternoon as they continued to search for their first points of the campaign, having now suffered four consecutive defeats.

HIBERNIANS 3-2 VALLETTA
A. Catania 17‘, J. Emmerton 75‘, I. Trbojevic 79‘ (H); S. Abdulai 53‘, S.Bumbar 63‘ (V)

Hibernians: M. Cachia; L. Sanchez, J. Dimech, K. Chetcuti, N. Celeste (O. Nazarko 65’), A. Ghio, J. Emmerton, E. Koneva, A. Catania, I. Trbojevic (L. Muscat 90’+4’), S. Papp. Coach: Martina Borg.

Valletta: J. Zarb; E. Lipman, M. Lucia, E. Cini (F. Bartolo 52’), S. Bumbar, S. Abdulai, K. Axiak (M. Gianfico 76’), R. Fite, G. Mifsud, J. Schembri (Y. Carabott 85’), B. Borg. Coach: Salvatore Mango.

Referee: Luca Grech

The most thrilling encounter of the matchday took place between Hibernians and Valletta, as the Paolites produced a spirited second-half comeback to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory in an entertaining contest that went down to the final stages.

Hibernians took the lead in the first half through Amy Catania, giving the Paolites the advantage. However, Valletta responded with determination after the restart and turned the game around with two goals in quick succession.

Salamatu Abdulai brought Valletta level in the 53rd minute before Sonia Bumbar converted a penalty ten minutes later to put the Citizens 2-1 ahead. With the momentum seemingly in their favour, Valletta looked well placed to secure an important victory and hand Hibernians their second defeat of the campaign.

The Paolites, however, refused to give up and mounted a decisive late comeback. Jessica Emmerton restored parity in the 75th minute, setting up a tense finish, before Ivana Trbojevic found the net just four minutes later to complete the turnaround and send Hibernians ahead once more.

The late double proved decisive, allowing Hibernians to snatch all three points in the matchday’s most dramatic fixture and remain alongside Swieqi United and Mġarr United at the top of the standings.