Group D Pepsi Player of the Week - Owen Galea

Senglea Athletic F.C player Owen Galea has been chosen as the player of the Week for Group D. Here’s how it all went down in his group and why he’s been selected as the POTW:

Group D - Match Briefing

He started the group stage against the most formidable opponent in the group, Christian Spiteri. Spiteri is the reigning champion of the BOV ePremier League and is eyeing on achieving a second title to his name for all of you that are not aware. Unfortunately for Owen, after a gruelling initial match, he lost 7-5. 

This loss meant that Owen had to drop down into the losers bracket versus Balzan’s IsaacKyleGrima. Owen knew he had to pull off his 100%, and managed to win the match 2-0 to get into the losers finals. This is where he took on Gudja United’s Kursten Sciberras in a hectic series of FIFA. In the first match, it was Owen to score the first goal for Senglea Athletic F.C. Kursten quickly replied with a goal of his own at the 87th minute, concluding the initial match with a 1-1 scoreline. In the 2nd game, both players gave their all to head into a 1-1 scoreline, leading into extra time. No one managed to score during the extra time, and the game went to penalties. 

Here Kursten was the first to score, and Owen was the first to miss, shooting the ball way above the crossbar. For a second time, Kursten scored, and Owen shot a high ball, missing twice. The third shot by Kusten was saved, and for a third time in a row, Senglea Athletic F.C shot a high ball. Gudja United then scored the third and final goal to win the series and finish in 2nd in Group D. If you haven’t missed out on the action, be sure to watch our match recap here:

After the group stage, he was drafted against one of the best players in the entire event, Shaun “Brandsha” Galea, representative of Hamrun Spartans. The first game went back and forth multiple times and eventually concluded with a 2-2 tie. The second game was also very close, but in the end, Owen scored a goal to get the edge in the match. With just a minute left on the clock, brandsha managed to score an absolutely brilliant goal and tie the game to head into penalties. Here we saw yet again another disappointing showing from Owen as he lost out in the penalties.

We asked Owen a couple of questions regarding his performance during the tournament.

Can you start by telling us something about you and for how long you have been playing FIFA competitively?

My name is Owen Galea, and I'm 17 years old. I started playing FIFA competitively at the start of 2021, where I managed to get verified. I am also currently representing Maltese organisation SkillUp in local and international FIFA 21 competitions.

Can you tell us your journey in this year’s edition of the MEPL till your Group Stage Matches?

It’s fair to say that so far, it’s been quite a rollercoaster. In my opinion, I showcased outstanding performance in all three matches in the group stage, but unfortunately, I only managed to achieve 3rd place.

You got eliminated in the Round of 16 after the penalties, Can you tell us if you had trained your penalties from your group stage match?

Yes, I did train penalty shootouts with my friends, but as you can guess I lost most of them.

Did you achieve your expectations in this year’s edition?

I gained a lot of experience from this year's edition and I think if I qualify for the event next year I can perform even better.

Would you have done anything different that might have helped you in progressing further in the competition?

I would not have done anything differently. I’ve had a lot of people messaging me regarding my great performances, and overall I think I just got unlucky. I probably deserved better but it's FIFA so anything can happen.

Were you surprised that you won the Pepsi Player of the Week?

To be quite honest, I was very surprised at first. I personally believe that whoever comes first deserves the player of the week. In this case, it was Christian Spiteri, and he was the probable favourite. I think my display against him made a statement that I can give everyone a good match, and that's what I think won me the player of the week.

What was the feedback you got from your friends and supporters after your Group Stage Matches?

All of my friends and supporters gave me the same feedback, saying well done and to focus on the next stage in the event. I think that achieving what I’ve got so far in my first ever year competing is not too bad.

What’s next for Senglea Athletic F.C?

Even though Owen was eliminated early on in the playoffs, he’s shown immense determination to improve himself and his performance. We believe that if Owen focuses on fixing his weaknesses, he just might be the next challenger for the title!