2022–23 Maltese Challenge League

The 2022–23 Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-level league football in Malta. It is the third season that the competition has been running in its present form.[1][2][3]

Maltese Challenge League
Season2022–23
Dates26 August 2022 – 23 April 2023
ChampionsSliema Wanderers
PromotedSliema Wanderers
Naxxar Lions
RelegatedMtarfa
Vittoriosa Stars
Matches played220
Goals scored593 (2.7 per match)
Top goalscorerBrazil Aroldo Da Silva Arruda (23 Goals)
Biggest home winFgura United 6-1 Vittoriosa Stars (8 December 2022)
Biggest away winMqabba 0-6 Fgura United (29 August 2022)
Vittoriosa Stars 0-6 Naxxar Lions (20 December 2022)
Highest scoringSwieqi United 5-5 Mqabba (10 December 2022)
Longest winning runSliema Wanderers
(13 Games)
Longest unbeaten runSliema Wanderers
(24 Games)
Longest winless runMtarfa
(10 Games)
Longest losing runMtarfa
(10 Games)
2023–24 →
All statistics correct as of 5 April 2023.

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2021–22 season:

Teams
Location of teams in 2022–23 Maltese Challenge League

Eighteen teams will compete in the league which will include the Four teams promoted from the Amateur League and one team relegated from the Premier League. This Season will be playing only one round. After the first round, the top six will play each other twice to determine whether to win the Challenge League, be promoted, or stay in Challenge League next season. And those who finish seventh till eighteenth in the first round will play once in Play-Out to determine who will stay in Challenge League or have either been relegated.

Team Location
Attard Attard
Fgura United Fgura
Lija Athletic Lija
Marsa Marsa
Marsaskala Marsaskala
Melita San Ġiljan
Mqabba Mqabba
Mtarfa Mtarfa
Naxxar Lions Naxxar
Qrendi Qrendi
San Ġwann San Ġwann
Sliema Wanderers Sliema
St. Andrews St. Andrew's, Malta
Swieqi United Swieqi
Tarxien Rainbows Tarxien
Vittoriosa Stars Birgu
Zejtun Corinthians Zejtun
Żurrieq Żurrieq

Venues
Pembroke Ta' Qali Hamrun
Luxol Stadium Centenary Stadium Victor Tedesco Stadium
Capacity: 600 Capacity: 3,000 Capacity: 1,962

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Sliema Wanderers 17 15 2 0 40 10 +30 47 Qualification for the Top Six
2 Naxxar Lions 17 13 2 2 40 15 +25 41
3 Zejtun Corinthians 17 11 0 6 35 22 +13 33
4 Tarxien Rainbows 17 9 5 3 34 19 +15 32
5 Żurrieq 17 9 2 6 33 28 +5 29
6 Melita 17 7 5 5 29 22 +7 26
7 Fgura United 17 7 4 6 41 25 +16 25 Qualification for the Play-Out
8 Marsa 17 6 6 5 27 23 +4 24
9 Swieqi United 17 6 6 5 33 31 +2 24
10 St. Andrews 17 6 4 7 23 27 −4 22
11 Lija Athletic 17 5 5 7 28 32 −4 20
12 Attard 17 5 4 8 19 30 −11 19
13 San Ġwann 17 5 3 9 20 34 −14 18
14 Marsaskala 17 4 3 10 28 39 −11 15
15 Mqabba 17 4 3 10 21 36 −15 15
16 Qrendi 17 3 5 9 19 36 −17 14
17 Mtarfa 17 4 2 11 11 28 −17 14
18 Vittoriosa Stars 17 3 1 13 14 38 −24 10
Updated to match(es) played on 8 January 2023. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or teams for relegation).

Results
Home \ Away ATT FGU LJA MSA MRK MEL MQA MTF NXR QRE SGN SLI STA SWQ TAR VIT ZEJ ZUR
Attard — — — — — 2–4 0–1 3–1 1–3 0–0 — 0–4 1–1 3–1 1–4 — — —
Fgura United 0–0 — 2–2 0–0 2–0 — — — 2–3 — 4–0 — — — — 6–1 4–1 1–4
Lija Athletic 2–1 — — 0–2 — — — 0–0 — — 1–2 — — 2–2 1–2 2–0 2–4 —
Marsa 2–2 — — — — 0–2 2–1 2–0 — 4–0 — — — 2–0 3–3 1–1 — —
Marsaskala 2–0 — 2–4 2–2 — — — 3–1 0–3 — 1–2 — — — — 2–1 0–1 1–2
Melita — 2–4 2–2 — 2–1 — 2–1 — — 1–1 — 0–1 6–2 — — — — 3–0
Mqabba — 0–6 1–2 — 3–3 — — — — 2–0 2–3 1–2 0–1 — — — — 1–0
Mtarfa — 0–2 — — — 0–0 1–0 — 0–1 2–3 — 1–3 0–4 2–1 2–1 — — —
Naxxar Lions — — 3–2 2–0 — 2–0 1–1 — — 2–0 1–0 1–2 — 1–3 — — 3–2 —
Qrendi — 4–3 3–3 — 2–3 — — — — — 3–0 0–2 0–0 — — — 0–3 2–5
San Ġwann 0–1 — — 2–2 — 1–1 — 1–0 — — — — — 2–4 1–4 3–1 0–2 —
Sliema Wanderers — 2–1 1–0 1–0 5–1 — — — — — 3–1 — 3–0 — — — 3–0 3–0
St. Andrews — 3–2 0–2 2–3 2–2 — — — 0–3 — 1–1 — — — — 2–0 0–2 3–1
Swieqi United — 1–1 — — 4–3 2–0 5–5 — — 1–1 — 2–2 0–2 — — — — 2–2
Tarxien Rainbows — 2–1 — — 3–2 0–0 1–2 — 1–1 4–0 — 1–1 1–0 0–2 — — — —
Vittoriosa Stars 0–1 — — — — 0–4 3–0 3–0 0–6 1–0 — 1–2 — 0–3 0–2 — — —
Zejtun Corinthians 4–1 — — 2–1 — 3–0 4–0 0–1 — — — — — 3–0 1–4 2–1 — —
Żurrieq 1–2 — 5–1 3–1 — — — 1–0 1–4 — 3–1 — — — 1–1 2–1 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 8 January 2023. Source: [https://matchcentre.mfa.com.mt/competition/2601248/
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Second phase

Top Six
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation SLI NXR ZEJ TAR ZUR MEL
1 Sliema Wanderers (C) 24 22 2 0 63 15 +48 68 Promotion to the 2023–24 Maltese Premier League — 3–1 6–0 5–0 8 Apr
2 Naxxar Lions (P) 24 18 3 3 53 21 +32 57 15 Apr — 0–0 2–1 3–0
3 Zejtun Corinthians 24 13 2 9 46 38 +8 41 Qualification for the Promotion play-offs 1–3 1–2 — 10 Apr 2–2
4 Tarxien Rainbows 24 11 6 7 47 32 +15 39 2–3 0–3 2–3 — 16 Apr 3–0
5 Zurrieq 24 10 2 12 37 49 −12 32 0–1 8 Apr 1–4 2–5 — 0–3
6 Melita 24 8 7 9 35 32 +3 31 0–2 1–2 16 Apr 0–0 0–1 —
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or Promotion play-offs).
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted

Play-Out
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation SWQ STA FGU MSA LJA ATT SGN QRE MRK MQA MTF VIT
7 Swieqi United (X) 25 11 8 6 45 38 +7 41 — — 2–2 3–0 — — — 2–1 8 Apr 2–1 —
8 St. Andrews (X) 25 11 6 8 34 33 +1 39 0–0 — — — 10 Apr 2–1 1–1 — — 2–1 —
9 Fgura United 26 10 8 8 53 35 +18 38 — 16 Apr — — 0–1 1–1 — 1–1 — 1–1 —
10 Marsa 26 9 7 10 37 38 −1 34 — 0–2 1–3 — — 16 Apr 1–2 — — 0–0 —
11 Lija Athletic 25 9 6 10 44 47 −3 33 15 Apr — 0–1 — — — 4–5 — 3–2 — 4–3
12 Attard 25 8 6 11 30 40 −10 30 3–0 — — — 1–1 — 1–1 1–4 11 Apr — —
13 San Gwann 25 7 7 11 28 41 −13 28 Relegation to the 2023–24 Maltese National Amateur League — — — 2–0 — — 0–1 1–1 — 8 Apr 0–1
14 Qrendi 26 7 6 13 33 49 −16 27 0–1 0–2 1–2 — — — — — 0–1 — 2–2
15 Marsaskala 25 7 6 12 45 50 −5 27 — — 3–1 1–3 — — 16 Apr — 5–0 — 3–1
16 Mqabba 25 6 3 16 28 51 −23 21 — 0–1 1–2 1–2 — 1–0 15 Apr — — — —
17 Mtarfa (R) 25 5 5 15 18 38 −20 20 — — — — 0–1 — 0–1 2–2 2–1 — 15 Apr
18 Vittoriosa Stars (R) 26 6 2 18 27 57 −30 20 0–2 3–1 1–0 1–4 — 1–3 — — — — —
Updated to match(es) played on 2 April 2023. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide teams for relegation).
(R) Relegated; (X) Safe from relegation

Season statistics

Top scorers
As of 5 April 2023
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Brazil Aroldo Da Silva Arruda Fgura United 23
2 Colombia Duvan Mosquera Torres Lija Athletic 16
3 Trinidad and Tobago Rundell Winchester Marsaskala 15
Colombia Robinson Blandon Rendon Naxxar Lions
Malta Lydon Micallef Sliema Wanderers
6 Malta Adrian Carabott Marsaskala 14
Brazil Joao Vitor de Oliveira Florencio Zurrieq
8 Brazil Claudio Antunes Pavlidis Qrendi 13
9 Brazil Edson Cerqueira Farias Naxxar Lions 12
Brazil Andre Carlos Penha da Costa Zejtun Corinthians
11 Brazil Lucas Matheus dos Santos Mqabba 11
Japan Hiroya Konno Melita
13 Albania Erjon Beu Lija Athletic 10
Brazil Lucas Ribeiro de Oliveira Marsa
Brazil Jean Carlos Cloth Goncalves Sliema Wanderers
Malta Darren Falzon Tarxien Rainbows

Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Stadium Date
Brazil Aroldo Da Silva Arruda Fgura United Mqabba 6–0 (A) Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali 29 August 2022
Melita 4–2 (A) Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun 8 September 2022
Japan Hiroya Konno Melita Attard 4–2 (A) 11 September 2022
St. Andrews 6–2 (H) 2 October 2022
Brazil Matheus De Lucena Guariento San Gwann Vittoriosa Stars 3–0 (H)
Japan Hiroya Konno Melita 4–0 (A) Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali 9 October 2022
Malta Nicholas Schembri Attard Mtarfa 3–1 (H) 5 November 2022
Brazil Lucas Matheus Dos Santos Mqabba Swieqi United 5–5 (H) 10 December 2022
Brazil Pavlidis Claudio Antunes Qrendi Mtarfa 3–2 (H) 18 December 2022
Fgura United 4–3 (H) Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun 21 December 2022
Brazil Aroldo Da Silva Arruda Fgura United Zejtun Corinthians 4–1 (H) 7 January 2023
Brazil Joao Vitor De Oliveira Florencio4 Zurrieq Lija Athletic 5–1 (H) Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali 8 January 2023
Colombia Robinson Blandon Rendon Naxxar Lions Zurrieq 3–0 (H) 5 February 2023
Netherlands Suleiman Jalu Qrendi Attard 4–1 (A) Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun 25 February 2023
Colombia Duvan Mosquera Torres Lija Athletic Vittoriosa Stars 4–3 (H) 5 March 2023
Notes

4 Player scored 4 goals

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 Malta Rashed Al Tumi Sliema Wanderers 11
2 Malta Yenz Cini Naxxar 9
3 Malta Miguel Montfort St. Andrews 8
4 Malta Ryan Caruana Melita 7
Malta Jean Claude Debattista Swieqi United
Malta Sean Mintoff Zejtun Corinthians/Qrendi
7 Malta Zach Valletta Attard 6
Malta Julian Azzopardi Fgura United
9 Malta Nicholas Vella Marsa 5
Malta Matthias Debono Tarxien Rainbows
11 Malta Luke Bonnici Lija Athletic 4
Malta Jean Mattiase` Vella Mtarfa
Malta James Abela Vittoriosa Stars/Mqabba
Malta Christopher Farrugia Zejtun Corinthians
15 Malta Christian Cassar Vittoriosa Stars 3
16 Malta Andy Gilson Marsa 2
Malta Daniel Attard Marsaskala
Malta Gerson Mifsud Mqabba
Malta Andre Fenech Naxxar
Brazil Winiston Cristian Santos Qrendi
Malta Miguel Juan Spiteri San Gwann
Malta Dunstan Zarb Żurrieq

Club

References
  1. "Malta Beats San Marino 2-0 Away to Get UEFA Nations League Campaign off and Running". 5 June 2022.
  2. "San Marino vs Malta prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Nations League 2022-23".
  3. "BOV Challenge League – Malta Fixtures, Results, Tables & Scorers".
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