Malta FA Jubilee Cup Review: Hamrun ease past Senglea, Floriana, Valletta, Birkirkara edge into next round

Photos by Malta FA, Luke Kirby Balzan and Owen Damato

MALTA FA JUBILEE CUP
SECOND PHASE FIRST ROUND

Hamrun Spartans 4-0 Senglea Athletic
With two goals in each half, Malta champions Hamrun Spartans proved to have no difficulty against Amateur League I side Senglea Athletic on Saturday afternoon at the Centenary Stadium, easing into the next round of the Malta FA Jubilee Cup, supported by Enemed.

The opening half was a slow one, with Hamrun threatening on a few occasions while the Cottonera side were operating on the counter-attack. On 20 minutes, veteran Senglea goalkeeper Sean Mintoff was stretchered off after a daring interception in the six-yard box, being replaced by Justin Tonna, who developed into the protagonist of the game with various excellent interceptions. On 41 minutes, a few minutes after Semir Smajlagic came close to break the deadlock, Ante Coric curled a free-kick past Tonna to give the Spartans the lead. Just before the break, Smajlagic headed home from close-range to double the advantage for Hamrun.

Hamrun Spartans 4-0 Senglea Athletic - 18.10.2025 - Photo by Malta FA

Ryan Camenzuli, who entered the fray as a half-time substitute, scored the third goal for Hamrun on 57 minutes, a wonderful first-timer from a Mouad El Fanis cross. The match went down a gear after this strike, with Tonna performing a string of fine saves on Shaisen Attard, Joseph Mbong and N’Dri Koffi, keeping the score respectable for his side. In the final action of the match, Koffi blasted home the fourth and last goal from the edge of the box.

Birkirkara 1-1 Victoria Hotspurs
(Birkirkara winners after penalty kicks: 4-2)
On Friday night at the Centenary Stadium, Birkirkara had to dig deeper than expected to shake off the resistance of Victoria Hotspurs, who play two tiers lower than the Premiership club. After a balanced opening half hour, Birkirkara took charge of the game but were rather sloppy in their passing, simply lacking ideas to break the Gozitan wall. Eventually, the Premier side took the penalties better to save their blushes.

Birkirkara came close through Marcos Maydana on 14 minutes, who unleashed a thunderbolt from the edge of the area with Steve Sultana turning the attempt into a corner with an excellent reflex.  
On the half hour mark, the Hotspurs took a surprise lead. Kurt Borg did well to intercept a Birkirkara attack on the left side, progressing towards the box and laying off to Christian Mercieca, whose shot was deflected by Stefan Marjanovic with Matthew Grech beaten. Not much later, Kurt Borg nearly doubled by heading past Grech and over the crossbar from an Eduardo Wagner cross.

It was all Birkirkara after the change of ends however. Newcomer Asumah Abubakar missed a sitter on 55 minutes in front of an empty net but the former Brisbane Roar player incredibly missed. On 78 minutes, a Kurt Zammit header from a free-kick action was kicked from the goal-line, with the Stripes now desperately searching for an equaliser. With eight minutes regular time left, Lucas Ribeiro headed Birkirkara next to Hotspurs, a deserved equaliser. In the penalty sequence, Grech saved two Hotspurs penalties with Birkirkara kicking all four spot-kicks home.

Birkirkara FC 1-1 Victoria Hotspurs (4-2) - 17.10.2025 - Photo by Malta FA

Floriana 2-1 Birzebbuga St Peter’s
On Saturday, Floriana squeezed past Challenge League side Birzebbuga St Peters by the odd goal in three in a rainy afternoon at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. The Blues played an excellent game, giving the established Premier League side more than a match.

The Greens should have taken the lead when Rui Areias incredibly missed a glorious chance from two paces. But from the resulting corner, Mattias Veselji found Owen Spiteri who tapped home with ease. The Saints had an opportunity when Yusuf Sulaiman went on a long run but his shot was saved by debutant goalkeeper Pablo Picon. But on 37 minutes, Birzebbuga equalised when Picon mistimed the ball with David Oliveira on hand to tap in his fifth goal in this competition.

Floriana FC 2-1 Birzebbuga St Peter's FC - 18.10.2025 - Photo by Owen Damato - Malta FA

Floriana scored the winner on 66 minutes after a corner by substitute Jake Grech found Lucas Lopez whose header fell to Veselji who managed to tap in from close range. The Greens controlled the game with ease after that with the Saints being rarely dangerous.

Sliema Wanderers 1-1 St Andrews
(Sliema Wanderers winners after penalty kicks: 3-1)
On Sunday at the Centenary Stadium, Sliema Wanderers were made to sweat for their place in the next round as they edged past Challenge League outfit St Andrews on penalties following a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

The Wanderers began brightly, dictating play from the start and creating the better chances. Their first clear opportunity came on 13 minutes when Luke Montebello squandered a golden chance from close range, blasting over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, it was St Andrews who broke the deadlock midway through the first half. A rare defensive lapse by Gustavo Alcino gifted possession to Jeff Jadyn Sowah, who raced clear and coolly slotted past Kelvin Emeka into the bottom left corner to give the Saints a shock lead.

Sliema emerged after the break with renewed intent and came agonisingly close to levelling when substitute Mamadu Bah struck the crossbar. Their pressure eventually paid off 20 minutes from time when the American forward rose highest to meet a cross and beat custodian Fredrick Tabone with a precise header. Despite their dominance, Sliema could not find a winner in regular time, forcing the contest to be decided from the penalty spot. The Premier League side kept their composure during the shootout to secure their passage, though St Andrews departed with plenty of credit after a spirited display.

Hibernians 4-0 Kirkop United
In the second Centenary Stadium kick off on Saturday afternoon, Hibernians proved to have no difficulty overcoming Amateur League I side Kirkop United in a one-sided game. Although Kirkop were adventurous and certainly did not hide in their shell, Hibernians controlled the game as the difference in quality was too big.

It was Ayrton Attard who kicked Hibernians ahead in the eighth minute, an unstoppable grounder from just inside the box. It was quickly 2-0 when Miullen Carvalho drilled home on 20 minutes, beating Miguel Falzon for a second time. Four minutes later, Cleiton added the third from close-range after the Kirkop defence failed to clear the ball from a corner action.

More of the same after the break with Cleiton coming close to score his second of the day but this time Falzon did well to save on 53 minutes. In the 69th minute, Lucas Caruana tried his luck from about 20-meters distance with the ball sailing into the net. Kirkop did try to score a consolation goal but failed to do so, leaving the pitch with their heads held high, scoring 12 goals in the previous three rounds, beating Santa Venera, Xghajra and Victoria Wanderers in the process.

Tarxien Rainbows 1-0 Kercem Ajax
One of two remaining teams from the Gozo FA, Kercem Ajax, did well on Sunday afternoon to give Premier side Tarxien Rainbows more than a match, with the Blues, for the occasion in red, advancing to the next round with a minimal 1-0 score.

The balanced opening half delivered little action, with Tarxien having the initiative but Kercem recording the first real goal attempt on 27 minutes when Andrea Debrincat’s header sailed millimetres wide over the crossbar from a free-kick action. Tarxien scored what proved to be the winner just after the half hour mark when Ajax goalkeeper Franklin Vella failed to control a cross from the left with Tavinho being at the right spot to knock-in. Play of the Rainbows in the first half left much to be desired however, allowing Kercem to press for an equaliser towards the end of the half.7

Tarxien Rainbows FC 1-0 Kercem Ajax FC - 19.10.2025 - Photo by Luke Kirby Balzan - Malta FA

Tarxien showed the better ideas after the break but found trouble to find their forward line with perhaps Marcus Grima having the best opportunity for the Rainbows on 70 minutes after receiving from latest recruit Jay Quitongo. Not much later, Franklin Vella did well to turn an on-target Gabriel Vella shot into a corner. Despite a late Kercem rally, Tarxien managed to pull through until the very end, ending a match without many highlights.

Mosta 2-0 Qala Saints
Also at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the last team from Gozo were eliminated with Mosta beating Gozo champions Qala Saints quite comfortably with a 2-0 final score. A deserved victory for the Blues, who faced an Qala side who most definitely played a good match but simply could not find the net with the Mosta rear-guard in no mood for surprises.

The Premier side scored early when left flank defender Joao Victor found the net with an angled shot on eight minutes from a corner action. The Gozitans left the initiative to Mosta but certainly had a few good chances in the first half through Andre Martins and Joseph Zammit, with Mosta goalkeeper Anse Ngoubi Demba interfering well on both occasions. On 39 minutes, Zachary Brincat should have doubled when Qala failed to clear the ball from a corner-kick but hit the side-netting. But Mosta did score their second goal, just before half-time through Leo Fernandes, who was sent through by Nathan Agius moments before. On the stroke of half-time, Gilberto Carrara nearly punished a defensive Mosta error but eventually miskicked his goal attempt.

Less action after the break with Qala being unable to get through the Mosta defence. Andre Martins came close with a header for the Maroons on 76 minutes which went just over the bar, while also the Mosta youngsters came close on a few occasions to score a third goal.

Zabbar St Patrick 1-0 Pieta’ Hotspurs
On Sunday night at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Zabbar St Patrick registered a narrow win over Pieta’ Hotspurs to book a place in the Round of 16 of this competition. The Challenge League side gave their more quoted opponents a good match, but eventually faded out with the Saints’ defence holding firm. Pieta' defender Isaac Cutajar made his 100th official senior appearance in this match.

St Patrick opened the score in the 27th minute, with this goal resulting in being the winning one, when Pedro Cejas fired home from an ideal position. Pieta made a strong reaction and they could have equalised a few minutes later through a fierce shot from distance by Sheldon Borg which was parried away into a corner with difficulty by Jonathan Grech, who returned between the sticks for his first love, his 174th game for the Saints.

Zabbar could have doubled the score on the 72 minutes when Brian Gambarte advanced into the penalty area but found Pieta’ goalie Reeves Cini well-prepared, who deflected the ball into a corner.
Pieta’ did try to take the game into penalties but St Patrick continued administering their narrow lead throughout the end of the match to advance to the subsequent stage.

Marsaxlokk 1-1 Balzan
(Marsaxlokk winners after penalty kicks: 7-6)
In the early Victor Tedesco Stadium kick-off on Sunday afternoon, Marsaxlokk had to rely on penalties to overcome Challenge League side Balzan after a 1–1 draw in regular time. A hard blow for Balzan, who were close to an upset, conceded in the very last minute of regular time.

The seasiders dominated possession throughout, but Balzan threatened on the counter. John Kofi Mensah went close twice for Marsaxlokk in the first half, while Jake Ghio forced a fine save from goalkeeper Niklas Vella just before the break in an otherwise drab opening 45 minutes.

After the goalless first half, Marsaxlokk kept pressing, with Jose Arias and Dodo Soares both testing Vella. However, against the run of play, Balzan took the lead in the 63rd minute when Awosanya Oluwale’s shot was partially parried by Pablo Sanchez with Gabriel Chimezie knocking the ball in from the rebound. Not much later, Balzan nearly doubled their lead when Jake Engerer struck the post. Towards the very end, Marsaxlokk were awarded a penalty but Niklas Vella saved Leandro Aguirre’s spotkick. However, Dodo found the net for Marsaxlokk on the stroke of full-time, forcing out penalties which were taken better by the Premiership side.

Naxxar Lions 5-1 Santa Lucia
In the second encounter on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Naxxar Lions progressed convincingly into the next round, beating Challenge League side Santa Lucia 5-1. Strikers Edward Bolanos and Alexandro Firmino scored a brace each for the Lions.

The team of coach George Vella made their intentions clear from the start with a fine shot from just outside the box by Neil Pace Cocks that ended up just over the bar. Naxxar went ahead on six minutes when Bolanos managed to slip past the Santa Lucia defence and steer the ball past the onrushing Miguel Montfort. It was 2-0 on 15 minutes with a superb individual effort by Rosiel Silva who smashed into the net after some excellent work.

Naxxar could have been 3-0 up on 21 minutes when a low cross on the right was almost turned into the net by Julian Abela with a spectacular save by Montfort off his own defender. Santa Lucia did have a chance on 28 minutes when a free kick taken by Jean Carlos was brilliantly saved by Matthias Debono.

Another chance went begging for Naxxar on 36 minutes when Bolanos was in the clear, but Montfort pulled off another stunning save. The third goal arrived on 42 minutes courtesy of a header from Firmino while in first half stoppage time, Bolanos put the game to bed with the fourth Naxxar goal, making the second half a pure formality.

It did not stop Naxxar from increasing their tally as Firmino scored the fifth with an unstoppable scorcher on 68 minutes. Almost immediately after, Santa Lucia grabbed a consolation goal when Jean Carlos scored a brilliant strike. They could even have made the score more respectable but North Macedonian substitute Filip Petkovski missed a penalty on 82 minutes.

Valletta 1-0 Melita
Valletta advanced to the next round of the Jubilee Cup after a narrow 1–0 win over Challenge League side Melita on Saturday.

The Citizens dominated much of the first half, creating several goal-scoring opportunities, but were unable to convert their chances as the opening 45 minutes ended goalless.

The match swung in Valletta’s favour on the hour mark when Melita’s Jesus Andres Yepez was shown a straight red card. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 71st minute, with substitute Yannick Yankam firing home a spectacular strike from outside the penalty area to give Valletta the lead.

Valletta FC 1-0 Melita FC - 19.10.2025 - Photo by Malta FA

Despite playing with ten, second-tier Melita pressed for an equaliser, but Valletta managed the remainder of the game well to secure their place in the next round.

Gzira United 2-1 Fgura United
Last Sunday, also Gzira United advanced to the last 16 of the Jubilee Cup after defeating Fgura United 2–1 at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. Despite the win for the Maroons, Challenge League side Fgura showed quality and came close to equalising on several occasions.

In the 10th minute, Fgura went close when a cross from the right found Japanese forward Hidesato Ueda, whose header struck the post. Barely a minute later, Gzira created a good chance of their own when Andre Carlos saw his close-range effort saved by Yenz Cini. Around the half-hour mark, Fgura’s Alan Abdel Rahman fired just over the bar. Gzira, with coach Darren Abdilla back at the helm, took the lead in the 33rd minute when Andre Carlos broke forward and beat Cini with a precise low shot. Fgura nearly equalised shortly before halftime, but Dylan Caruana’s effort was cleared off the line by Andrew Borg.

The Maroons doubled their advantage in the 51st minute when Brookly Borg pounced on a loose ball and finished into an empty net. Fgura deservedly pulled one back in the 73rd minute through substitute Timmy Akande, who scored from close range. In the 80th minute, Ueda Hidesato almost levelled the score, but Gzira custodian Karl Sargent came out quickly to make an excellent save. For the remaining time left, the Maroons held on for a narrow win despite Fgura’s pressing for an equaliser.

Zurrieq 2-0 Vittoriosa Stars
The third Jubilee Cup encounter on Saturday at the Victor Tedesco Stadium was a balanced affair between two Challenge League sides, Zurrieq and Vittoriosa. Thanks to two late strikes, Zurrieq went through, but in all fairness the match could have gone either way.

The first 45 minutes lacked goalmouth action with chances on both ends at a premium. The first real chance of the match actually arrived on 51 minutes and was for the Birgu side when Samuel Boakye managed to race clear but his effort was well saved by stand-in goalie Giancarlo Borg. Not much later, Zurrieq replied with a shot by Sebastian Grech that was saved by Edward Gatt.

Vittoriosa came close again with an excellent header that went just over the bar on 72 minutes.  But it was Zurrieq who took the lead on 82 minutes when a cross from the right by Brendan Schneider found Jonathan Money who rose imperiously to head past Gatt.  Zurrieq secured their victory three minutes from time when Schneider, from New Zealand, turned goalscorer with a fine effort that left Gatt hapless.

Attard 2-1 Lija Athletic
In a tensed derby between Attard and Lija on Monday night at the Sirens Stadium, the 13^th in history, was target for Attard, who came back from behind to secure a spot with the last 16 clubs, the only Amateur League side to do so, coming out of the Preliminaries of this competition. Lija looked to have the match under control after going up early but a 17th minute expulsion ruined the night for the team of coach Ivan Zammit.

Erjon Beu, in his 300th official game in Malta, could have put Lija ahead in the seventh minute but his free header sailed inches over the crossbar with Attard goalkeeper Zach Valletta beaten. However, three minutes later, Ross McParland broke the deadlock for Lija by drilling home the first goal of the evening after being sent through by Juan Alejandro Ruiz. On 17 minutes, Beu was shown a red card for a tackle on Nigerian Attard striker Tejumola Ayorinde. Lija however, kept composure during the rest of the half, keeping the Attard attacking attempts at bay.

Attard equalised soon after the re-start however when Precious Nwankwo, barely a minute after coming on as a substitute, beat Luke Bonnici from close-range. Just before the hour, Ruiz came close to score for Lija but his shot from the edge of the area missed target by an inch. Despite being down to ten, Lija kept on showing the better ideas with McParland coming inches close to knock in an Omar Khatib cross on 65 minutes. But on 79 minutes it was Nicholas Schembri who scored the winner after an excellent counter-attack, beating his direct marker in the box before denying Bonnici with a slick move. Not much later on the other side, Lija could have equalised from a corner action but Jamie Magri Overend’s free header sailed inches wide. In stoppage time, Staline Degabriele missed a sitter for Attard with Bonnici diving well to avoid a third Attard goal. Towards the very end of the game, Lija even ended the match with nine when Ruiz was given his second yellow card.

Mgarr United 2-2 Swieqi United
(Mgarr United winners after penalty kicks: 6-5)
In the late Centenary Stadium kick off on Saturday, Swieqi incredibly gave away a 2-0 advantage in the final minutes to get beaten on penalties by Mgarr United. Hero of the day was undoubtedly Mgarr goalkeeper Miguel Chetcuti, who returned between the sticks, after long period being sidelined through injury, making three saves in the penalty shootout.

This match between two Challenge League sides was an open contest with Swieqi initially largely dominating proceedings. Matthew Debattista should have put Liam Mangion’s team 1-0 ahead after just nine minutes but the former Melita midfielder missed a sitter after a splendid attack by the Owls. Five minutes later it was Emmanuel Asante who gave Swieqi the desired early lead, rounding off in style opportunistically. On the stroke of half-time, Swieqi doubled through Kian Leonardi, who placed ball accurately against the net, a deserved lead for Swieqi.

But Mgarr came back strongly after the break, taking over the initiative and threatening a few times through their forward line. Chances were far and inbetween however, with Swieqi even coming close to a third goal on 71 minutes when the unmarked Jan Tanti had a free attempt but failed to find target. On 82 minutes Mgarr finally pulled one back through Brazilian substitute Chrystian Noto, who was sent through and beat young custodian Kierin Ellul-Ruggier from close range. This goal gave Mgarr fresh hopes for a comeback and not much later, Ellul-Ruggier saved with a splendid reflex on Wisdom Igiebor’s goal attempt with Terence Vella miskicking the rebound. Deep into stoppage time, Mgarr equalised through Christyan who blasted home in the six-yard box, sending the game into penalties. No less than 16 kicks were taken, with Swieqi missing three and the Northerners two.

Sirens 1-2 Zebbug Rangers
In Friday night’s late Centenary Stadium kick-off, Zebbug scored a last gasp goal to shake off the resistance of Sirens in another clash between two Challenge League teams. It was a balanced encounter which could have gone either way but the Rangers proved to be more constructive on the night.

It was Zebbug who took the lead on 12 minutes when American forward Kalani Delarole was sent through the heart of the Sirens defence, easily slotting home the opener.  Sirens equalised on 26 minutes when Hafiz Akadom was sent on a probing run down the right, beating Rangers goalkeeper with an angled shot.

On 59 minutes, Zebbug were awarded a penalty when Leonardo De Bortoli held Delarole in the box. However, Michael Silva’s spot-kick was superbly saved by Ryan Vella. On the other side, substitute Thiago Nonato saw his header go close on 78 minutes while ten minutes later, a Delarole attempt for Zebbug from a corner action was cleared from the goal-line by Kane Farrugia. But with penalties looming, on the stroke of full-time, the Rangers scored the winner through Michael Silva, who blasted home from just inside the area after Hugo Santos did all the hard work.