ST. JULIAN’S, Malta (Interstat) — Melita scored three unanswered goals after halftime and defeated visiting Sirens 3-0 on Sunday in a global football match. The home side broke through in the 47th minute, doubled its lead in the 59th and added a final goal in the third minute of stoppage time. Sirens were held scoreless. The first half ended without a goal before Melita took control after the break. Melita improved its competition record to 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, while moving to 3 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw across all competitions. Sirens fell to 0 wins and 4 losses in the competition and to 1 win, 4 losses and 1 draw overall.

Benjamin Cassar gave Melita the lead with a goal in the 47th minute. Cassar played 90 minutes and scored once. Eric Mensah made it 2-0 with a goal in the 59th minute. Mensah also played 90 minutes and scored once. Daniel Pawley closed the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time. Pawley played 90 minutes and scored once. The goals came in that order, with Cassar, Mensah and Pawley providing the key performances for Melita. Sirens could not find a response and finished without a goal.

Melita had entered the match after a 2-1 win at Zebbug and had also beaten Gudja United 3-0 on the road earlier in the season. The home side had lost 2-0 at home to Pieta Hotspurs FC, drawn 0-0 at Attard and lost 2-1 at home to Mgarr. Melita’s latest result added three goals to a season that has now produced 3 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw across all competitions, including a competition mark of 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. The home victory gave Melita a second competition win and followed its 2-1 road result at Zebbug.

Sirens had entered the match after a 2-1 home loss to Tarxien and had also lost 3-2 at Swieqi United FC and 3-2 at home to Naxxar. Sirens had drawn 1-1 at Fgura United and had beaten Zurrieq 1-0 at home earlier in the season. The visiting side remained without a competition win and now stands at 0 wins and 4 losses in the competition, with a 1 win, 4 losses and 1 draw record across all competitions. Sirens will next host Vittoriosa, travel to St Andrews, host Victoria HS, travel to Santa Lucia FC and host Zebbug.

Melita will next travel to Victoria HS, host Santa Lucia FC, travel to Zurrieq, host St Andrews and host Vittoriosa. The match produced a 3-0 final score, with Melita scoring in the 47th, 59th and 90th-plus-third minutes. Sirens did not score and remained on zero goals for the match. Melita’s three goals came from Cassar, Mensah and Pawley, each of whom played the full 90 minutes and scored once. After the breakthrough early in the second half, Melita protected its advantage and added two more goals to secure the home victory.

The result gave Melita its second competition win of the season and its third win across all competitions. Sirens remained without a competition victory and dropped its fourth competition match. Melita has one competition draw, while Sirens has no competition draws. Both sides will continue their competition schedules with the upcoming matches listed above, beginning with Melita’s trip to Victoria HS and Sirens’ home match against Vittoriosa.

Before the match, Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Melita 2, Sirens 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Melita with a 68.8 percent probability to win. Melita had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.