Meridianbet FA Trophy: Valletta 1 Tarxien R. 0
28/01/2026
Valletta won their encounter against Tarxien Rainbows in the Meridianbet FA Trophy competition. In the next round they will face Ħamrun Spartans, who won their match against Fgura United.
In the first half, in the fifth minute (5’), an illegal challenge by Borg resulted in a yellow card shown by referee Farrugia. In the 13th minute (13’), Tarxien’s Hinestroza shot from outside the box from a central position, but the ball went well over the crossbar. In the 19th minute (19’), Valletta were awarded a free kick from the edge of the box on the left side, but captain Paiber struck the ball into the wall. In the 23rd minute (23’), Valletta worked the ball well down the right flank, with Aldama laying it back to Tavares, who shot low, but the Tarxien defender cleared the ball. In the 27th minute (27’), Valletta’s Aldama tried to finish from inside the box on the right, but his effort went high. In the 31st minute (31’), Valletta were awarded a corner from the right, and Mbende rose highest to head the ball, but it went just over the crossbar.
In the 35th minute (35’), an illegal action in Tarxien’s penalty area against Valletta player Meijer resulted in a penalty for Valletta. The decision was contested by Tarxien, but referee Farrugia confirmed his call after consulting the video support system. Messias made no mistake from the spot and put Valletta in the lead. In the same incident, Mosquera was shown a yellow card, the first for Tarxien Rainbows. In first-half added time (45+), Tarxien’s Hinestroza directed a good header towards goal, but goalkeeper Aguero dos Santos was alert and made the save.
At the start of the second half (46’), Tarxien coach Jacques Scerri made his first substitution, with Panic replacing Mosquera. A minute later (47’), Tarxien’s Valverde struck a good shot from the left, which goalkeeper Aguero dos Santos pushed out. In the 56th minute (56’), Tarxien created a good chance when Hinestroza played the ball to Musulin, who shot from close range, but Aguero dos Santos again pushed the ball out. In the 58th minute (58’), an illegal challenge by Da Silva Rosa resulted in a second yellow card for Tarxien. In the 59th minute (59’), Valletta came close to scoring, but goalkeeper Spiteri managed to stop several attempts from Valletta’s attackers, with captain Paiber’s shot hitting a Tarxien defender. A minute later (60’), Valletta were again dangerous when Paiber delivered the ball into the box and Tavares headed it, but goalkeeper Spiteri was alert and collected. In the 61st minute (61’), Tarxien made a double substitution, with Borg and Lokosa replacing Grima and Dantas dos Santos respectively. In the 65th minute (65’), Tarxien goalkeeper Spiteri showed great ability once more by being quick off his line and anticipating Messias. A minute later (66’), Valletta coach Thane Micallef made his first substitution, bringing on Yankam in place of Tavares. In the 70th minute (70’), Valletta’s Messias was shown a yellow card for simulation.
Two minutes later (72’), Tarxien made another double substitution, with Vella and Barbosa replacing Valverde and Hinestroza respectively. In the 75th minute (75’), Valletta made their second substitution, with Żammit replacing Meijer. In the same minute, an illegal challenge by Tarxien’s Musulin resulted in a yellow card. In the 81st minute (81’), an illegal action against Barbosa inside Valletta’s penalty area resulted in a penalty for Tarxien, but Rosa failed to convert from the spot. In the 87th minute (87’), Valletta made a double substitution, with Brewer and Mendoza replacing Ellul and Azzopardi respectively. In added time at the end of regulation, Tarxien were awarded a free kick taken by Barbosa, who struck a good shot, but goalkeeper Aguero dos Santos was alert and made the save. Shortly before the final whistle, Tarxien’s Barbosa was shown a yellow card after kicking the ball away in frustration following an illegal action.
Valletta: A. Dos Santos, M. Ellul (87’ S. Brewer), S. Borg, B. Painter, J. Azzopardi (87’ J. Mendoza), E. Emende , Y. Messias, S. Radic, T. Aldama, D. Tavares(66’ Y. Yankam), S. Meijer (75’ A. Sammut).
Tarxien Rainbows: J. Spiteri, M. D’Alessandro,A. Gaafar , A. Valverde(72’ VELLA Andreas), S. Mizzi, H. Da Silva Rosa (58’), Y. Mosquera Bedoya (46’ P. Panic), M. Musulin, W. Dantas Dos Santos (61’ A. Lokosa), M. Grima (61’ L. Borg), I. Hinestroza Hernandez (72’ C. Da Silva BARBOSA (90+C. Enrique).
Referee: Philip Farrugia
Photo Credits: Domenic Aquilina
