First Play-Off Match Ends in Draw

First Play-Off Match Ends in Draw

Victoria Hotspurs 1 -1 Kalkara United

Rondinely Roberto Monteiro 24′

On Sunday afternoon at the Sirens Stadium, champions Victoria Hotspurs and promotion challengers Kalkara United kicked off the second phase of the Amateur League II, containing the top four teams in the ranking, to be played on a single round basis. The team of coach Bruno Menezes rose to the occasion, keeping their more quoted opponents on a surprising one all draw, working out the well-planned structure of the Brazilian mentor into perfection. The Hotspurs played their usual dominant game, but eventually failed to score the winner.

Kalkara left league Top Scorer Timmy Thomas on the bench, starting with some more steadiness in the back, aiming to hold back the flood of Hotspurs attacks. The tactical plan worked out well but on 24 minutes, the Hotspurs opened the scoring through Rondinely, his 17^th league goal of the season, blasting home an unstoppable scorcher from the edge of the box.

The Hotspurs kept on dominating but on 38 minutes, from a swift counter-attack, Kalkara managed to equalise when Jean-Claude Annati beat the off-side trap from an excellent Miguel Perez-Jimenez cross, having the better of Adrian Parnis with an accurate grounder. On the stroke of half-time, lanky Kalkara custodian Liam Lagana performed a great block on a Kurt Borg attempt, avoiding a Victoria Hotspurs lead at the break.

Five minutes after the re-start, Kalkara should have gone ahead with again Perez-Jimenez doing all the hard work on the left flank before crossing to the unmarked Annati, with Parnis blocking the goal attempt in style. The Gozitans responded with a thunderbolt by Shaun Attard close to the hour, which was tipped over the bar by Lagana for a corner.

On 67 minutes, Kurt Borg should have kicked the Hotspurs ahead but failed to find target with only Lagana to beat. Despite a late Hotspurs rally, Kalkara managed to secure a very valuable point which is leaving them, for now, mathematically in the race for the second promotion slot.