Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/652704
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 51 Sport FOOTBALL Birkirkara ................. 2 Sliema Wanderers ...... 1 CROATIAN forward Matija Sm- rekar's goal two minutes from time gave Birkirkara a narrow 2-1 victory against Sliema Wan- derers at the Hibs Stadium. The win keeps the Stripes with the top three and keeps their faint hopes for the title alive. Sliema took the lead on the 25th minute when Njongo Priso tapped the ball home from in- side the box from Marko Pote- zica's precise cross. But two minutes later, Birkirkara equalised when Frank Temile's thumping drive from the edge of the box gave no chance to Glenn Zammit. Sliema could have regained the lead three minutes into the sec- ond half but Jean Paul Farrugia was unlucky to hit the post with a neat strike. As the game was destined for a draw, Smrekar's curling freekick beat goalkeeper Zammit two minutes from time. BIRKIRK AR A Miroslav Kopric, Cain Attard, Ryan Scicluna, Christian Bubalovic, Goran Mu- janovic, Gareth Sciberras, Edi- son Bilbao Zarate (77' Edmond Agius), Ryan Camenzuli, Frank Temile (90+4' Ryan Darmanin), Matija Smercek (90+1' Matthew Guillaumier), L'Imam Seydi. Subs not used: Ini Etim Akpan, Clint Zammit, Fabian Lufi, Zach Cassar Coach: Drazen Besek SLIEMA Glenn Zammit, Alex Muscat, Armando Dos San- tos Tarlaziz (71' Peter Xuereb), Njongo Priso, Clif ford Gatt Bal- dacchino, Marko Potezica, Jo- hann Bezzina, Denni Dos Santos Rocha, Gary Muir, Jean Paul Farrugia (82' Aiden Jake Frig- gieri), Stefano Bianciardi. Subs not used: Miguel Bonnici, Michele Sansone, Mark Scerri, Sebastian Perdomo Esquivel, Luke Dimech. Coach: Alfonso Greco Referee: Sandro Spiteri Assistant Referees: Alan Camill- eri, Thomas Debono Additional Assistant Referees: Fyodor Zammit, Malcolm Spi- teri Fourth Of ficial: Ryan Aquilina Yellow Cards: Bezzina, Muir, Potezica Scorers: 25' Njongo Lobe Priso Doding , 27' Frank Temile, 88' Matija Smrekar BOV Player of the Match: Njongo Lobe Priso Doding Attendence at the Hibernians Tarxien Rainbows ....... 6 Qormi ....................... 1 QORMI'S survival prospects were dealt a heavy blow after Tarxien Rainbows hit six goals past the bottom-placed club. Luke Montebello and Daniel Zerafa were the protagonists with two goals apiece but a poor Qormi side rarely threatened their opponents. The Rainbows took the lead just after six minutes when Monte- bello received a through pass on the right and advanced into the area before beating goalkeeper Andrea Vella with a powerful shot. The Yellows were unable to cope with Montebello and four minutes later the strong striker set up Azzopardi who scored with an easy tap in from inside the ten-yard box. Despite being two goals down, Qormi refused to give up and re- duced the gap on the 33rd minute when off a cross by Ryan Micallef from the left, Terence Vella slot- ted the ball past Sean Mintoff with a first-time effort. But six minutes before half time, Daniel Zerafa restored Tarxien's two-goal lead with a header from Azzopardi's corner. Two minutes after the break, Montebello scored his second and Tarxien's fourth with a neat lob from the edge of the area. From a corner from the right, Claudio Frances managed to beat goalkeeper Vella to make it 5-1 and two minutes from time, Tarxien's Daniel Zerafa made it six with a header from another corner. Andreas Vella, Ryan Micallef, Kyle Spiteri (80' Shamison Zam- mit), Djamel Leef lang, Pietro Viggiani (46' Clint Barbara), Ousmane Sidibe, Noah Olawole Ojuola, Alessio Cassar, Terence Vella, Kurt Magro, Tensior Gus- man (80' Juan Carlos Vieira Pei- xoto). Subs not used: Jean Matthias Vel- la, Immy Micallef, Joshua Bar- bara, Luke Farrugia. Coach: Johann Scicluna TARXIEN Sean Mintoff, Ebi- abowei Baker, Bruno Giglio de Oliveira, Triston Caruana (78' Roderick Bajada), Brandon Mus- cat (64' Matthew Tabone), Ayr- ton Azzopardi (75' Ryan Spiteri), Luke Montebello, Daniel Zerafa, Joao Pedro Oliveira Santos, John Mintoff, Claudio Daniel Frances. Subs not used: Andrea Cassar, Manuel Caruana, Timothy Ta- bone Desira, Carlos Menendez Hevia. Coach: Jacques Scerri Referee: Mario Apap Assistant Referees: Mitchell Scer- ri, Martin Borg Fourth Official: Stefan Pace Yellow Cards: none Scorers: 5' Luke Montebello, 10' Ayrton Azzopardi, 33' Terence Vella, 39' Daniel Zerafa, 47' Luke Montebello 88' Daniel Zerafa BOV Player of the Match: Luke Montebello Attendance at the Victor Tedesco Stadium: 392 PBS obtains Euro 2016 media rights Every football match of this summer's Euro 2016 football tournament will be broadcast on TVM and TVM2, and on TVM's website THE Public Broadcasting Ser- vices had obtained exclusive media rights for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament that will be held in France this sum- mer. Live free-to-air coverage of every game in the month-long tournament will be available on TVMHD and TVM2HD, as well as on TVM's web portal and all mobile services. The 15th UEFA European Football Championship will be held between 10 June and 10 July. For the first time, 24 teams will take part in the final tour- nament Finalists are drawn into six groups of four, with the group winners, the six runners-up, and the four best third- placed teams advancing to the round of 16: when the competition becomes a knockout with direct elimina- tion all the way to the final. Spain are the tournament's two-time defending champions. The matches will be played in ten stadia in ten cities: Bor- deaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Mar- seille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Étienne and Toulouse: with three viewer friendly kick- off slots: 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00. Both the opening match be- tween France and Romania, and the final, will take place at the Stade de France (Saint-Denis). This is the third time that France is hosting the tourna- ment, after the inaugural edi- tion in 1960, and 1984. Smrekar gives Birkirkara last-gasp win over Sliema Qormi on the brink as Tarxien run riot Norwich frustrate Manchester City MANCHESTER City missed the chance to eat into the deficit to Bar- clays Premier League leaders Leices- ter as they were held to a goalless draw by relegation-battlers Norwich at Carrow Road. City boss Manuel Pellegrini had re- sisted the temptation to make sweep- ing changes for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, with the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie com- ing up against Dynamo Kiev next week. However, despite dominating pos- session, the visitors lacked a cutting edge in a match devoid of clear cut chances at either end as Norwich's defence finally managed to keep Ser- gio Aguero at bay. Norwich, who had lost eight of their last nine league matches to slump into the relegation zone, came close to snatching the lead in the first half when a 25-yard effort from on-loan Chelsea forward Patrick Bamford hit the top of the cross- bar, while midfielder Graham Dorrans sliced a decent late chance wide. The point moves Norwich level with 17th- placed Sunderland, while City are now nine be- hind Leicester, who play Newcastle on Monday night. Bournemouth took a significant step to secur- ing their top-f light survival with a thrilling 3-2 win over Swansea at the Vitality Stadium, which leaves them on 38 points and 13 clear of the drop zone following a third straight victory. Ivory Coast midfielder Max Gradel, just back from six months out with a cruciate knee liga- ment injury, gave the Cherries the lead on 36 minutes, knocking in a loose ball after Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski had palmed out Adam Smith's right-wing cross. The visitors, though, were level just two min- utes later when Gambian frontman Modou Bar- row scored his first Swansea goal with a curling effort into the far corner after cutting in from the right. Bournemouth regained the advantage on 50 minutes when Joshua King netted his second goal in as many games. Swansea, who themselves are fighting to pull clear of the survival battle, equalised again on 62 minutes through Gylfi Sigurdsson. However, Eddie Howe's side were not to be de- nied as with 13 minutes left Steve Cook headed in following a corner to secure what could well be a season-defining victory for the south-coast club, who were in League One just three seasons ago. Graziano Pelle broke his goal drought with a first-half brace as Southampton won 2-1 at Stoke, where the visitors finished the match with 10 men. After a positive opening from the hosts, Pelle headed Southampton in front on 11 minutes fol- lowing a corner for a first goal since November 1. The Italian forward then doubled the Saints lead on 29 minutes when he rolled the ball past Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland after being played into the right side of the penalty area by a neat exchange with Dusan Tadic. Stoke got themselves back into the game on 51 minutes when Marko Arnautovic converted Ibrahim Afellay's cross at the near post. Southampton had what looked a strong pen- alty claim turned down by referee Lee Mason when Tadic appeared to have been felled by But- land, and saw a late free-kick from James Ward- Prowse hit the crossbar. In stoppage time, Saints forward Sadio Mane was sent off for an apparent elbow on Erik Piet- ers as they jumped for the ball, but the visitors closed out victory. Norwich held Man City to a goalless draw at Carrow Road