Fielding a practically unchanged formation from their last friendly the Versity mentor
Camilleri was forced into changing the unavailable Ellul Soler (down with fever) who was ably replaced by the returning Calleja.
The trademark 4-4-2 with a flat back four was once more the basis of Camilleri’s strategy.
Apart from sporadic moments Versity
were the better team, the superior individual class of the whites midfield and forward personnel complemented with a solid
defensive display swayed the balance in favour of Versity who though were culprits of poor finishing which could have been
costly at the end of the game.
Seven minutes into the game,
a nice move by Versity’s midfield made way for an interesting opening for Ferrante who after controlling delightfully
saw his shot skim past the far post. Versity continued on the offensive and further chances for Mifsud and Zammit did not
reap dividends. Dingli relied heavily on the long ball and from one such foray they almost opened the score when a cross shot
which to Versity’s luck somehow hit the crossbar. Versity were once more on the attack and from a resulting corner Calleja
was close to opening the score but Dingli’s goaler ably kept out his flick and from the resulting rebound Dingli’s
goaler saved again from Grima.
As the first half approached
the 30th minute, Dingli forged ahead against the run of play. A tentative pass found Dingli’s midfielder
making a good run controlling on the edge of the box and his speculative shot was unluckily deflected by Bonanno and the ball
flew into the angle leaving Agius who to this moment was practically a bystander stranded in Versity’s goal. Although
finding themselves in arrears Versity’s players were not dejected and seemed determined to get back on level terms.
However, as the half-time whistle was drawn Versity failed to find the back of the net.
As the second half started off,
Versity immediately went all out to get the equalizing goal. The midfield led majestically by Ferrante pressed their opponents
in order to force them into committing an error. Their efforts were rewarded when a loose ball fell nicely to Mifsud at the
edge of the box who without thinking twice just unleashed a powerful shot thus crowning his official MAFA debut with a well
taken goal. Versity however continued pressing forward with Ferrante directing proceedings with his composure and intelligent
moves being too much for the Dingli midfield to handle. He was ably assisted by Calleja who complemented well his partner
who also in turn carved out intelligent passes to split open the Dingli defence. Buttigieg and Sammut on the flanks covered
acres of ground to chase, defend and launch attacks thus allowing Versity to stretch their opponents and thus create space.
Mid-way through the second half
a jinking run by Calleja was abruptly stopped by the Dingli defender. Although around 20 metres from goal Ferrante stepped
up to take the kick and he placed a perfectly floated ball over the Dingli Wall into the back of net to the delight of his
team members. In 20minutes Versity overturned the deficit into their favour. Versity however, were not intent on sitting back
and continued attacking in search of a third goal to ensure that victory is attained. The Versity coach in the meantime made
some changes to ensure that Versity maintain the momentum. In came Salerno and Bugeja to provide breath and flair to defence
and midfield. From an interesting move involving Zammit and Bugeja the ball fell nicely to Mifsud whose point blank shot was
well saved by the Dingli goalkeeper.
As the match started to draw
to its end certain nervousness started to creep in. Although dominating their opponents Versity failed to turn this superiority
into goals and they risked that some error ruins their work. Further fresh legs were brought in as Schembri and Zammit made
their season bow. However, Versity held on to register the first victory of the new season which provides them with confidence
for the upcoming fixture. At the end of the match it was no wonder that the Versity players traipsed out of the stadium with
a wide grin on their faces after edging past Dingli 2-1.
Formation:
D Agius [6] – little
to do;
D Caruana [6] – Solid;
K Bonanno [6.5] – Industrious;
D Grima [6.5] – Generous;
E Sciberras [7] - Versatile;
A Sammut [7] – Effective;
I Calleja [7.5] – Fitted
well in central role;
S Ferrante [8.5] – Outstanding;
C Buttigieg [7] – Fought
hard;
A Mifsud [7.5] – Well-taken
goal;
C Zammit [7] – Hard working;
Subs:
P Bugeja [6] – good movement;
R Zammit [6] – late cameo;
M Salerno [6] – valid
contribution;
R Schembri [6] – little
time to make impact;
Coach & technical staff:
D Camilleri [8] – strategy
and team well prepared
Scorers:
A Mifsud; S
Ferrante;
Versity Player of the match:
Stephen Ferrante – an all round great and magnificent performance which culminated
with the eventual match winner
