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Last Monday, Naxxar started the 2nd round of the season with a hard fought game against Gudja United. Gudja are one of the only two teams that took points away from Naxxar in the first round and it was no easy feat for Naxxar to win the 3 points and go back to the top of the table.
Despite the bad weather and very strong winds, Naxxar supporters were again cheering for the team from the very first minute of the game.
Naxxar started offensively and had a free kick taken by Gilbert Camilleri just outside the penalty area in the first few seconds of the match. Despite this, Gudja scored in the 2nd minute when Naxxar defense failed to clear and a TREVOR THOMAS shot from outside the penalty area hit the upright and the back of the net. This goal gave Gudja a very good advantage and from this point onwards, it was an uphill battle for Naxxar. Notwithstanding this early setback, the Lions continued pressing their opponents and had several opportunities to level the score. Gudja goalkeeper Matthew Xerxen had to save twice on a Darren Falzon shot while a Victor Bellia shot missed the target by few inches.
In the 14th minute a powerful shot by Adrian Fenech hit the crossbar while Victor Bellia's header ended in Gudja custodian's hands. In the 21st minute Naxxar deservedly leveled the score when Andrea Farrugia dribbled Gudja's right defender and his cross was headed by DARREN FALZON. Even though Naxxar were attacking with the wind behind their back, they managed to test Gudja goalkeeper just once before the half time whistle.
In the second half, Naxxar kept on pushing forward and were denied a penalty in the 52nd minute when a defender handled the ball in Gudja's penalty area. A minute later, Glen Magri's shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 60th minute Simon Muscat replaced Justin Zammit and was given a warm welcome by the numerous supporters for his return to the team after several months out injured. In the 64th minute David Vella punched the ball away from Naxxar's goal in one of Gudja's isolated attacks while on the other side Naxxar scored the winning goal 20 minutes from time. Simon Muscat dribbled a player on the right and his powerful shot was partially saved by Gudja's goalkeeper. From the rebound, DARREN FALZON headed to score his 2nd personal goal of the match. 7 minutes later, both Gilbert Camilleri and Glen Magri had a good opportunity to add another goal, but missed the target.
Naxxar controlled the final moments of the game and secured the 3 points needed to keep the pressure at the top of the league. Once again, the club and the players want to thank all the supporters for their constant encouragement throughout the game.
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