RIVALS , DERBIES, AND THE MATCHES THAT MATTER Floriana’s rivalry map starts with history. St George’s belongs in the earliest rivalry conversation, while Sliema Wanderers became the great old-firm style rivalry, especially from the 1920s through to the late 1970s. The Sliema rivalry matters because it is tied to the foundations of Maltese football. Floriana and Sliema contested the first Maltese League title in 1909/10, with Floriana winning the replay through Salvu Samuel’s goal. But the strongest current derby answer is Valletta. Times of Malta describes Floriana-Valletta as a historical rivalry between neighbours and one of Malta’s biggest football rivalries, while MaltaFootball.com has framed the fixture as a derby between eternal rivals. The 2021/22 FA Trophy final gave that modern derby story a major cup chapter. Floriana beat Valletta after extra time, with Jan Busuttil scoring Floriana’s opener before the match was settled in the second period of extra time. So the clean Spectata line is this: Valletta is the neighbour derby, Sliema is the old-firm story, and both are essential to understanding Floriana.

Posted by SpectataAdmin2 at 2026-05-31 23:25:08 UTC