Victoria Hotspurs Suffer First Defeat

Victoria Hotspurs Suffer First Defeat

Amateur League I Match Day 2

Victoria Hotspurs F.C. 1 – 3 Qormi F.C.

Scorer: 3′ Kurt Borg

In the early Centenary Stadium kick off, Qormi handed Victoria Hotspurs their first defeat in several outings, producing a commanding performance to underline their promotion credentials. Jesmond Zerafa’s men showed great character, coming from behind after an early setback to outplay their Gozitan opponents in style.

Victoria had gone ahead early when Kurt Borg was on the right spot to change the direction of the shot which Brazilian forward Eduardo Wagner produced. However, Qormi gradually grew into the game, with Cadu and Emmanuel Garba both threatening. On 41 minutes, Liam McKay scored for Qormi to level the score with a delightful lob that left the goalkeeper stranded. In stoppage time, the turnaround was complete when Kieran Fenech rose highest to nod home a well-timed header.

After the break, the Hotspurs poured men forward in search of an equaliser, but Qormi remained disciplined and dangerous on the counter. In the 53rd minute, former Malta international Ferdinando Apap squandered a golden opportunity for Victoria, firing wide from close range while completely unmarked.

Qormi punished that miss in ruthless fashion six minutes later when Emmanuel Garba unleashed a stunning strike from outside the box to make it 3-1. From then on, Zerafa’s side controlled proceedings, exploiting the spaces left by an increasingly desperate Victoria team. Despite further chances for Qormi to extend their lead, the scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.

Match Report by MFA Match Centre