Cup Drama Unfolds as Eight Teams March into BOV National Cup Quarter-Finals

2026/27 BOV NATIONAL CUP 
2nd ROUND

Mqabba 3-2 Rabat Ajax 
In front of a sizeable crowd at the Sirens Stadium on Saturday, Mqabba recorded a hard-earned odd goal in five victory over National League II leaders Rabat Ajax, who once more played an excellent game but nevertheless bumped into their first defeat of the season. 
 
Mqabba scored two early goals as they took the lead through Kurt Borg on six minutes, who rounded off a wonderful individual move in the box with a diagonal shot that beat Ajax goalie Dean Sciberras. Four minutes later, Borg doubled for Mqabba from a corner action, kicking home from close-range to give the team of coach George Magri the perfect start.  
 
But it was Rabat who dictated play for the rest of the half, with Julian Suzuki coming close with a free entrance in the box on 36 minutes before Lydon Moore interfered. Kyle Debono, Shayon Attard and team captain Ryan Tonna all produced off target attempts in the opening period.  
 
Five minutes after the change of ends, Rabat were awarded a penalty for a hands ball incident in the Mqabba box. The Brazilian stepped up himself, beating Lydon Moore from the spot with the Magpies now back into the game. On 63 minutes, Rabat equalised when the unmarked Shayon Attard tapped home a Suzuki cross, who did all the hard work on the left flank, much to the delight of the Rabat supporters. 
 
However, on 81 minutes, Jothan Jephthah scored the winner for Mqabba when, from a corner-action, the Rabat defence failed to clear the ball with the young Nigerian heading home from the scrimmage.  
 
Mellieha 1-2 Senglea Athletic 
Just a week after their National League I encounter, Mellieha and Senglea Athletic crossed paths once again, this time with Senglea emerging 2-1 winners to secure their place in the Quarterfinals. Sunday's clash at the Sirens Stadium lacked the usual knockout drama in the second half, as all three goals and most of the noteworthy action came before the interval. Nevertheless, the contest remained evenly balanced, with the outcome still uncertain until the final whistle. 

Senglea enjoyed the greater share of possession during the opening exchanges, but it was the Blues who struck first after 15 minutes. Alexander Akl latched onto a well-timed pass from Dario Magro, using his pace to get the better of his marker before slotting home with a precise low finish. Their advantage, however, lasted just four minutes, as Gordon Saliba restored parity for Senglea with a curling delivery from the left that found its way into the net through a crowded penalty area. Senglea then completed the turnaround shortly before the half-hour mark when Adrian Caruana capitalised on a goalmouth scramble to put his side 2-1 ahead. 

Following the change of ends, the tempo dropped considerably, with much of the play concentrated in midfield and clear-cut opportunities proving scarce. Neither side managed an effort on target until the closing stages, leaving Mellieha firmly in contention for an equaliser that would have forced extra time. Senglea came close to extending their advantage in the 81st minute when substitute Jack Zammit directed his header against the upright, leaving Mellieha goalkeeper Miguel Falzon rooted to the spot. 

Nine minutes of added time were eventually played, largely following a concerning head injury to Mellieha captain Iven Zammit, who had to be stretchered off and taken away by ambulance. Despite the lengthy stoppage, the scoreline remained unchanged, allowing Senglea Athletic to hold on to their narrow advantage and book their place in the Quarterfinals. 

  
Lija Athletic 3-1 San Gwann 
In Saturday’s late Luxol Stadium kick-off, Lija Athletic booked their place in the Quarterfinal of the BOV National Cup with a convincing 3-1 victory over San Gwann, with all four goals coming in an action-packed first half. 
 
San Gwann made a bright start, taking the lead after just five minutes through a superb strike from Nigerian James Falana. However, Lija responded almost immediately, with Gabriel Villas Boas restoring parity three minutes later. Lija completed the turnaround just before the half-hour mark when Thomas Grech fired a powerful low drive past goalkeeper Jean Claude Debattista, before Ross McParland extended their advantage with a close-range finish three minutes before the break. 
 
The team of coach Noel Turner pushed for a comeback after the interval, with Kyle Bartolo heading narrowly wide before Stephen Ekwu-Ojo struck the crossbar with a close-range header in the 67th minute. Despite these opportunities, Lija remained firmly in control of the encounter, defending their two-goal cushion professionally to comfortably seal their passage into the next round. 
 
Qrendi 3-1 Nadur Youngsters 
On Saturday, the last Gozitan participant in this season’s National Cup was eliminated by Qrendi at the Sirens Stadium, a harsh result on Nadur Youngsters, who passed through bright patches in the encounter. However, Qrendi were the more clinical side of the two, scoring two second half goals to become the first team to book their place into the Quarterfinals. 
 
After a balanced opening period, Nadur took a surprise lead on 18 minutes with Matthias Mercieca placing the ball neatly in the corner from the edge of the box from an excellent Youngsters attack. On 32 minutes, Qrendi levelled when Dylan Micallef provided Miguel Zammit am opportunity he could not miss, beating Zak Vella with a grounder in the far corner. 
 
Nadur were the better team after the restart, but it was Zak Vella who brought the house down with great interferences on two point-blank Brandon Bray attempts, which could have easily meant the advantage for Qrendi. On the other side, Sylvan Xuereb had a wonderful opportunity to kick Nadur 2-1 up, but the left flank attacker aimed his attempt too wide. This all in the eventful opening 15 minutes of the second half. 
 
However, on 71 minutes, Qrendi took the lead when Christian Saint Ebisindor beat the off-side trap, laying off to Bray who deposited the ball into the empty net with Vella out of position. Nadur pressed for an equaliser but on seven minutes later, Qrendi substitute Jean Paul Dimech concluded from close-range to add the third goal for his team, which was ultimately the killer-blow for the Gozitans. 
 
 
Marsa 2-1 Dingli Swallows 
In the late Sirens Stadium clash on Sunday, Marsa and Dingli Swallows played out a close-knit knock out game, with ten-men Marsa ultimately coming out on top after a tensed finale. Dingli most definitely did not reach their usual level, with Marsa taking full advantage to book their first competitive victory of the season. 
 
Marsa were awarded a penalty on 18 minutes when Max Borg-Bartolo felled Davi Versiani in the box. The Brazilian stepped up himself and calmy converted the spot kick. Dingli equalised on 27 minutes after a wonderful attack with Jade Clarke finishing off in style. Ten minutes later, Clarke had a wonderful opportunity to kick Dingli ahead after some good work by Jurgen Gerada but hit the side netting from a promising angle.  
 
Just before the hour, Marsa substitute Raylon Paisley put his side 2-1 up with a well-placed shot from the edge of the box. In the 65th minute on the other side, Anson Saliba performed a splendid block on another Clarke attempt, who nearly concluded a wonderful run down the left flank.  
 
With ten minutes regular time left Miguel Galea was sent off after reckless play involving Clarke, leaving his side to ten players with Dingli throwing all on attack to level out the score. In the third minute of added time, Saliba turned a close-range Matteas Caruana attempt into a corner and not much later in a swift Marsa counterattack, Paisley manoeuvred himself into a shooting position but missed target from a promising angle. The team of coach Keith Darmanin therefore qualified for the Quarterfinal of this competition, a ray of light for the Marsin in this tough season. 
 
Zejtun Corinthians 3-4 Kalkara United 
In the early Luxol Stadium on Saturday, Kalkara United secured their place in the Quarter-Final of the BOV National Cup after edging Zejtun Corinthians 4-3 in a thrilling encounter that saw both teams finish with ten men. 

Kalkara took an early lead through a powerful shot from distance by Miguel Perez Jimenez in the fifth minute, but Jamie Delia equalised two minutes later with an excellent header. David Akindele restored Kalkara’s advantage in the 10th minute with a goal from close-range before Samuel Saldanha headed the 2-2 past Kalkara United goalkeeper Benjamin Bartolo. 

Akindele was sent off a minute later after elbowing a Zejtun player, but Zejtun’s numerical advantage ended shortly after the restart when Salem Adeyemi received his second yellow card after an off-the-ball incident. 

Misael Tabone put Kalkara ahead with a spectacular long-range lob in the 66th minute, before Saldanha missed a penalty three minutes later, hitting the post. On 77 minutes, Substitute Isaac Buhagiar eventually restored parity by tapping in the 3-3. 

However, Perez Jimenez had the final say, grabbing his second goal in the 87th minute to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory for the team of success coach Bruno Menezes. 
 
Marsaskala 1-4 Qormi 
On Sunday at the Luxol Stadium, Qormi easily disposed of Marsaskala in a one-sided affair to move to the quarter finals of the National Cup. Without setting any houses on fire, Qormi dominated Marsaskala from start to finish, who had in Chris Bohui and Souleyman Kante their best elements. 
 
Qormi took the lead on eleven minutes when Nicholas Schembri converted a highly dubious penalty. Four minutes later, defender Lesley Cassar-Jackson doubled the score with a scorcher from the edge of the area. But Marsaskala were back in business on 22 minutes when the referee awarded the second controversial penalty of the match, and Bohui made no mistake from the penalty spot. 
 
Qormi continued to attack but had to wait till eight minutes into the second half to re-establish a two-goal cushion, when Schembri headed home from close range for his second goal of the game. Sixty seconds from time, substitute Emmanuel Garba sealed Marsaskala’s fate when he headed past substitute goalkeeper Axel Saliba. 

 
Luqa St Andrew’s 5-0 Mdina Knights 
The only NLII team to reach the Quarterfinals are Luqa St Andrew’s, who dominated their fixture at the Luxol Stadium on Sunday from start to finish against Mdina Knights. It was a polished display from Luqa, who were a delight to watch, with Mdina always on the receiving end and with their goalkeeper Connor Frendo making a string of stunning saves. 

Ghanian striker Seth Kweku Ziyaba was outstanding before he limped off at the interval. He opened the score on 22 minutes with a close-range header and four minutes later, James Peplow doubled the score after a good Luqa move. 
 
The Saints continued to attack even in the second half but found in Frendo an unbeatable obstacle and were rather unlucky hitting the crossbar and the base of the upright. However, on 78 minutes, Andreas Psaila scored the third goal to put the game to bed. 

Mdina threw in the towel in the final minutes and conceded two further goals scored by Carlos Debattista and Jamie camilleri for a final 5-0 scoreline. 
 
 
Quarter-Finals 
Mqabba v Mellieha 
Lija Athletic v Qrendi 
Qormi v Kalkara United 
Marsa v Luqa St Andrew’s 
(scheduled for Tuesday 17 and/or Wednesday 18 November)

Images copyright JLE Images