Malta BOV ePremier League Group B Recap - A Serious Stalemate

Truly, Group B was probably one of the tightest bits of group play competition the Malta BOV ePremier League has ever witnessed. Indeed, with the majority of matches ending in draws, the standings boiled down to every single goal! Read on as we highlight everything in this Malta BOV ePremier League Group B Recap!

Malta BOV ePremier League Group B Recap - The Second of Three

Before we proceed by diving into the details, let's remind our readers about what's going on here. Specifically, as the first leg of the Main Competition, clubs are fighting to proceed and to have a chance to proceed to the Knockout Stage. 

Plainly - what's essential to know is that the top 2 clubs earn a direct spot at the Knockout Stage while only two of the third-placed teams will continue, based on the points accrued.

Take a look at our first preview which highlights the details here. 

Anyways, once again on March 29th, we buckled ourselves in for a phenomenal evening of competition at The Millennium Stand, National Stadium in Ta' Qali. 

Namely, the following clubs and their representative players were to compete: 

• Birkirkara FC - Kyle "Barzak" Calleja 
• Gudja United - Kursten "KurstenFIFA" Sciberras
• Hamrun Spartans - Matthias "Tubbi" Farrugia 
• Sirens FC - Salvatore "Shortyy" Assennato 

Predictions for the evening focused on the polarising divide between veterans and rookies in the group.

Specifically, eyes were on Salvatore "Shortyy" Assennato to see whether this rookie could continue his impressive performance or whether the veterans would stop him in his tracks. 

Let's see how it all boiled down!

Malta BOV ePremier League Group B Recap - Standings and Schedule

In chronological order, find the outcomes of all six matches listed below: 

29th March 2022, 21:00

• Birkirkara FC vs Hamrun Spartans (2-2)
• Gudja United vs Sirens FC (2-1)

29th March 2022: 21:45

• Birkirkara FC vs Gudja United (2-2)
• Sirens FC vs Hamrun Spartans (5-6)

29th March 2022: 22:30

• Sirens FC vs Birkirkara FC (1-1)
• Hamrun Spartans vs Gudja United (3-3)

Consequently, below find the final standings as determined by the scores: 

Malta BOV ePremier League Group B Recap - Draws and Desire

Wow, just wow - take a second to have a close look at the standings before we break it down. 

While last week not a single draw was earned, a total of four out of six games had players at odds, unable to defeat one another and unwilling to surrender defeat. Even though the standings paint a picture, it's fair to say that this Group was unbelievable tight. 

Kicking off our discussions, let's focus on one of the favourites - Salvatore "Shortyy" Assennato.

Eager to dive in, his first match against the veteran of Kursten "KurstenFIFA" Sciberras ended in a near loss, with Gudja United managing to edge out Sirens FC with a single goal. 

His next game would be equally close, facing off the other favourite of the group - newcomer Matthias "Tubbi" Farrugia representing one of the top clubs historically, Hamrun Spartans.

Once again, the back and forth game remained indecisive until the final minutes, where a sixth and final goal from Hamrun ended the game 6-5. 

The youngster would then conclude his performance with another tough game, this time managing to source a draw against Birkirkara FC. So yes, simply 2 goals resulted in Sirens FC placing fourth - a great performance regardless. 

Every other game ended in a draw. So much so, that both Hamrun Spartans and Gudja United ended neck and neck, thanks to two draws and a win against Sirens FC. Although equal in points, head-to-head and goal difference, Hamrun Spartans earned first place thanks to their high scoring games.

Indeed, it all boiled down to the final game, with Gudja United desperate for a win to earn that coveted first place spot. Knowing this, Hamrun Spartans dialled up the defence and managed to conjure up the much-needed draw, maintaining their position. 

Regardless of the exact position, both have secured a spot in the Main Stage Knockout. 

Moving over to third-placed Birkirkara FC, Kyle "Barzak" Calleja never lost or won. As you can tell, the club managed three draws to yield an incredible goal difference of 0.

Considering that goal difference is the second criteria after points, the veteran managed a better third-place finish than Floriana FC in Group A (-4) - likely guaranteeing a spot in the Knockout Stage!

Overall, the veteran proved his defence to be difficult to break while managing to read his opponent and take the opportunity to score back. 

Naturally, we'll only know for sure which third-place teams will be progressing in the coming week as Group C looks to battle it out to conclude the Group Stage of the competition. 

Considering how close the competition was in this Group, we'd love to know who you consider the Player of the Week, as powered by Pepsi!

For further articles for upcoming Groups, be sure to stay tuned for further news.