The Wanderers earn first points to open the relegation issue

17 October 2021

GFA BOV Gozo Football League Division I – Match Day 7 Gozo Stadium

SK Victoria Wanderers : 2

Oratory Youths FC : 0

5’ (0-1) Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa

32’ (1-1) Oliver Curmi

54’ (2-1) Fabricio Rozkiewicz

SK Victoria W:

G. Ratto, A. Agyeman, A.J. Obaje (G. Cardona), N. Camilleri, E. Zammit (J.W. Meilak),  O. Curmi, S. Harland, K. Grima, F. Rozkiewicz, D.U. Monday (A. Refalo), N. Vella.

Oratory Y:

A, Brignoli, J.V. Ferrari Silva, K. Hili (S. Curmi), H.H. Gocalves Barbosa, R. Ost Dos Santos, P. Vinicius De Moraes Ferreira, D. Azzopardi, J. Grima (D. Atzori), S. Azzopardi, K. Formosa, Ju. Attard.

SK Victoria Wanderers earned their first points in the championship in the last match of the first round which was a derby against Oratory Youths.  This was an encounter between two sides who are currently in the relegation zone and were both aiming for the win.  The Youths could have moved out of the red zone with a win while a defeat for the Wanderers could have practically sentenced them to relegation.  With this result, the Wanderers pull with the three other teams so that the tussle against the relegation in the next two rounds is expected to be decided by the outcome of many direct clashes.

In this match, the Wanderers were rewarded for their great determination and character as they conceded a goal at an early stage but managed to recover from the shock and turned the result in their favour with a goal scored in each half.  This was the sixth match for Victoria that they ended in a draw at the end of the first half but in this match, they managed to take the lead after the break and defended the result until the final whistle.  The Youths failed to capitalise from their early lead and ended up suffering from Victoria’s deployment so that they could not find a way to reach a way to save the result.

Timeline

Oratory came out more aggressive and took command of the midfield so that the Wanderers were forced on the defensive during the first part of the opening half, but as time passed Victoria pushed more players in the midfield and managed to recover from a goal conceded during the opening stages.

5’ (0-1) Oratory opened the score when Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa took the ball from the defence inside Victoria’s area, turned around the goalkeeper and deposited easily into an open goal.

10’ The Wanderers replied through a low shot from man angled position by Emerson Zammit that was neutralised by goalie Angelo Brignoli.

19’ The Youths were again dangerous through a header by central defender Joao Vitor Ferrari Silva following a corner kick by Pablo Vinicius De Moraes Ferreira.

24’ Victoria missed a good opportunity to level the score when Sam Harland was released inside Oratory’s area but concluded badly from an ideal position so that the ball ended on the side of the net.

30’ The Wanderers were again dangerous through a strike from outside the area 

32’ (1-1) SK Victoria Wanderers levelled the score when Aud-Gustine James Obaje released Oliver Curmi who came face to face with the goalkeeper and netted with a low drive.

HT (1-1)

Play continued to be well contested in the midfield after the break but the Wanderers managed to take the lead at an early stage of the second period and for the rest of the time they justified the result with a determined performance where they made it very difficult for their opponents to create danger and also operated dangerous breaks where they could have put their minds at rest form the win at an earlier stage.

3’ Oratory’s Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa produced a personal action and passed through several defender but at the end Victoria’s keeper Giacomo Ratto left his position in time and took the ball to deny the striker form concluding towards goal.

9’ (2-1) The Wanderers turned the result in their favour when Emerson Zammit won the ball from Oratory’s defence and from his cross Fabricio Rozkiewicz converted in goal from close distance.

22’ Oratory could have capitalised better when James Grima produced a personal action but ended on the floor following a challenge with an opponent, the ball arrived to an unmarked Karl Formosa who crossed from the left but Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa headed badly from close distance and the defence managed to clear the ball from the danger area.

40’ The Youths were again dangerous through a strike by Karl Formosa that ended away from goal.

FT (SKVW 2 – OY 1)