FA Trophy: Valletta 1 Pembroke 0
04/01/2026
Yuri Messias decisive goal ensured progression for the Citizens to the second round of the Meridianbet FA Trophy after beating 1-0 Pembroke Athleta against Saturday’s Centenary Stadium.
The first quarter of games saw Valletta having much of the possession of the game without being dangerous only in the sixteenth minute. Beltin will have the first offensive note action through Yuri Messias whose shot was only welcomed by Pembroke goalkeeper Athleta Clayton Rapa.
In the twenty-second minute, Valletta again tried through Jackson Mendoza from outside the box but the ball went again beyond the net.
In the twenty-seventh minute, Valletta will have another cross action of Yuri Messias on the left and the head stroke of Euurum with Rapa diverting the ball to a corner.
In the thirty-ninth minute, Paiber’s Beltija action distributed to Ciolacu but Rapa says no again. Two minutes later, Valletta will have a corner given by Evandro Gomes being reached by Saldanha whose deviation will first go to the pole and then to a corner.
In the fifty-third minute, we had the first offensive action of the second section again from Valletta when Paiber passes to Messias but the ball goes high. Four minutes later, Valletta was denied an evident penalty when a cross by Jackson Mendoza, one of Pembroke Athleta’s defenders, hit the ball with his hands but despite this, official Emanuel Grech allowed the games to proceed.
In the sixty-eight minutes, once again we saw the Beltin trying by means of a shot from outside the box of Jake Azzopardi who went high. Three minutes later, Valletta will have a corner on the left given by Paiber. The ball reaches Keyon Ewurum who heads but hits the goal. In the next action, the Beltin tries again but the passage to Radic ends up in the hands of Pembroke Rapa goalkeeper.
On seventy-three minutes, Valletta will be given a penalty after a Pembroke Athleta defender strikes the ball in his hand from the box. Of the eleventh metre Yuri Messias does not make mistakes when with an angled shot he beats Rapa and through this Valletta opens the score.
In seventy-six minutes, a contrast Belti sees the ball from Yankam going to Andrea Zammit but Rapa welcomes it. In the eighty minutes, Valletta action three against two sees Messias distributing substitute Aldama who, however, throws a height.
In eighty-eight minutes, Pembroke Athleta ends up with a smaller player after their Brazilian attacker Samuel Saldanha received a second yellow card after foaming goalkeeper Belti Timothy Aquilina.
In ninety-one minutes, Pembroke Athleta will have the first note action during this game with Kyle Sciberras Balbi shooting from outside the box with Aquilina managing to welcome.
VALLETTA: Timothy Aquilina, Mattias Ellul, Andrei Ciolacu (Jake Azzopardi), Brandon Paiber, Keyon Ewurum (Yannick Yankam), Shaft Keith Brewer JR, Moïse Emmanuel Mbende Yuri De Jesus Messias, Sava Radić, Evandro Pinto Gomes (Thaylor Aldama), Jackson Mendoza (A. Zammit).
PEMBROKE A: Clayton Rapa, Kyle Sciberras Balbi, Kurt Farrugia, Tyrone Fenech, Samuel Saldanha, Weverton Gomes, Jayden Aquilina, Andy Borg (Luca Caruana), Andrew Joseph Sant (Xylon Marmara), Mirco Vella, Jake Parnis.
Referee: E. Grech
Scorers: Y. Messias (V)
Yellow cards: A. Ciolacu (V), S. Saldanha, A. Joseph Sant (P)
Red cards: S. Saldanha
