15 October 2022
GFA BOV Gozo Football League Division I (MD 7) Gozo Stadium
Victoria Hotspurs FC : 2
Oratory Youths FC: 2
23’ (0-1) James Tabone
55’ (1-1) Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes
66’ (2-1) Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes
74’ (2-2) Neil Said
Victoria H:
O. Attard, O. Cremona (L. Farrugia), C. Vella (E. Xiberras), O.G. Fernandes, J. Azzopardi, J. Pace, D. Hili, L. Mancuso Lemos Santos Ferreira, J. Grech (A. Xiberras), S. Sillato, E.A. Da Silva,.
Oratory Y:
A. Brignoli, J. Tabone, P. Rapa (O. Curmi), K. Hili (N. Said), H.H. Goncalves Barbosa, I. Belhadj (S. Curmi), A. Xuereb, N. Sutic, Ju. Attard, H. Muscat (K. Farrugia), S.U. Ubuwere.
Victoria Hotspurs and Oratory Youths shared four goals in an interesting encounter from the red zone so they left the field of play with a point each. The outcome of the match did not reach the ambition of either side but they both registered an improvement in that Oratory pulled with the Sannat Lions the second place from the bottom of the table while the Hotspurs earned their second consecutive point which leave them at the bottom of the table but within a reasonable reach from their direct opponents.
Both Victoria and Oratory needed the full points at stake and as a result, the match turned out to be well contested where the win could have gone either way. The Hotspurs seemed in better shape during the opening minutes but the Youths recovered well and took the break in the lead. The Hotspurs produced their best patch of play during the opening stages of the second half and also managed to turn the result in their favour. Oratory recovered the deficit and also had the last scoring opportunity of the encounter where they could have scored the decisive goal.
For this match the two sides had their respective central defenders, Victoria’s Dimitri Christian Kassekar and Oratory’s Jefferson De Sousa Ferreira, missing due to a suspension. However, their substitutes managed to produce a positive performance as the main strikers of the two sides were neutralised. During this match, Victoria and Oratory confirmed their main limitations which are holding them back from obtaining better results as Oratory lack the experience to manage the crucial moments during the match, while the Hotspurs are disappointing as they do not express character and personality when they face difficult moments. The final score of this match is considered a just result and also reflects the respective position of Victoria and Oratory on the table.
Timeline
The Hotspurs came out determined to take command of play but Oratory had a prudent approach and as time passed by they became more adventurous than their opponents. Oratory managed to take the lead midway through the first half and capitalised from the advantage as the reaction by the Hotspurs was sterile.
6’ Oratory’s keeper Angelo Brignoli was well placed and neutralised a free kick by Victoria’s Elton da Silva.
13’ The same goalkeeper saved without difficulty an effort from a good position by Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes.
17’ Oratory’s defence hesitated to clear the ball from their area and the ball arrived to an unmarked Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes but the latter saw his shot that was blocked in time.
22’ Oratory created danger within Victoria’s territory as Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa won the ball from the defence but his attempt from an angled position was saved to a corner by goalie Owen Attard.
23’ (0-1) From the resultant corner kick taken by Ishmael Belhadj, James Tabone surprised the defence and headed in the goal.
31’ The Hotspurs created their best scoring opportunity but a header by Elton Da Silva following a cross from a long distance by Oliver Cremona was saved with difficulty to a corner by goalie Angelo Brignoli. From the resultant corner action, Oratory’s defence hesitated to clear and at the end, the ball arrived to an unmarked Damon Hili but the latter saw his effort well saved by goalie Angelo Brignoli.
41’ Victoria’s Elton Da Silva had a shot from a good position but missed the target.
HT (0-1)
Second Half
The match during the second period became much more interesting as the Hotspurs increased their efforts in an attempt to recover the score while Oratory tried to maintain their momentum. The Hotspurs managed to turn the result in their favour but the Youths recovered from a difficult phase, levelled the sore and the last minutes were more open where the win could have gone either way.
10’ (1-1) The Hotspurs scored the equaliser when Damon Hili won the ball from Oratory’s defence, unmarked Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes and the latter placed in goal with a low shot towards the far post.
17’ (goal disallowed) Oratory’s reaction arrived through a counter break where Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa entered Victoria’s area, turned around the goalkeeper and netted from a close distance but the goal was disallowed for handling by the same striker.
21’ (2-1) The Hotspurs turned the result in their favour when Oratory’s defence failed to clear a free kick by Damon Hili and Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes arrived on the ball and fired in goal from close distance.
26’ Oratory replied with an attempt directly from a free kick by Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa that was neutralised by Victoria’s keeper Owen Attard.
29’ (2-2) The Youths levelled the score when Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa entered Victoria’s area from the left-hand side and from his low cross, substitute Neil Said arrived on the ball and deposited easily into the goal with a tap-in.
39’ Oratory was dangerous through a good shot by Haraan Hajazan Goncaves Barbosa that was saved to a corner by Victoria’s goalie Owen Attard.
41’ Oratory’s goalie Angelo Brignoli made the best save of the afternoon to turn to a corner an attempt directly from a free kick by Olimpio Gabriel Fernandes.
45’ Oratory Youths missed an opportunity to score the decisive goal when Haraan Hajazan Goncalves Barbosa produced a personal action on the left flank but from his inviting low pass, Nikola Sutic incredibly hit badly from an ideal position and the ball ended away from goal.
FT (VH 2 – OY 2)
Referee: Etienne Mangion
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