A last-gasp controversial goal dashed Marsaxlokk’s hopes of making it into the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
The Premier League side headed into the second leg tie with a 1-1 draw and the result was the same in the early stages of the second half after both teams netted a goal each.
However, Partizani managed to overcome an inspiring Marko Drobnjak in the Marsaxlokk goal to book a berth against Georgia’s Iberia 1999 in the next round.
On the other hand, Floriana were given a run for their money by San Marino side Tre Penne with Jake Grech’s late goal helping the Greens avoid defeat.
Darren Abdilla’s side still managed to qualify to the next round where they will face Portugal’s Vitoria de Guimares.
Tre Penne, who never qualified from a single European round, scored on the hour mark with Floriana having to survive another scare against the side from San Marino before finding the leveller deep in stoppage time.
At the Centenary Stadium, Partizani had to see their captain Valentino Murataj, scorer of last week’s first leg goal, go off with an injury after only eight minutes.
He was replaced by Kosovo player Adnard Mehmeti as the Albanian side were looking to pile up the pressure on Marsaxlokk from the start.
Partizani’s substitute was the first to try and threaten Drobnjak but his effort from outside the penalty area sailed over the bar.
Marsaxlokk did muster an opportunity through Yuri but the Brazilian failed to hit the target, after 27 minutes.
Partizani came closest to break the deadlock when Archange Bintsouka beat Drobnjak just to see his lob struck the crossbar and land on the goal line before Marsaxlokk cleared away the danger.
Vangjel Zguro let fly a shot which sailed over the bar before Arinaldo Rrapaj forced Drobnjak into action with a fierce low drive.
Rrapaj almost put Partizani ahead with a brilliant first timer but his curling effort was not enough to beat Drobnjak.
After the change of ends, Marsaxlokk came out the strongest out of the blocks and they drew first blood at the first time of asking.
Yuri picked up the ball in the final third before firing a strike which hit the crossbar before going past Partizani’s goalkeeper.
However, Marsaxlokk’s joy lasted just a couple of minutes when Tedi Cara put the ball past Drobnjak to level terms.
The hosts were a whisker away from regaining the lead but Igor Goularte’s towering header was brilliantly stopped by the Partizani goalkeeper, just before the hour mark.
Partizani squandered a glorious chance to take the lead themselves through Bintsouka who missed the target from point-blank range.
Drobnjak came to Marsaxlokk’s rescue with a save on Rrapaj after the latter’s solo effort was not enough to put Partizani ahead.
The Marsaxlokk goalkeeper, though, could do nothing when Albers Keko slotted into an empty net, albeit in a potential offside position, to put Partizani ahead in stoppage time and help them advance in this competition.
In the opening stages of the match in San Marino, Floriana produced chances through Kyrian Nwoko and Jake Grech but could not find the net.
The Greens continued to pile more pressure on the San Marino side with Reid and Thiaguinho having chances of their own as well.
Despite their chances though, it was Tre Penne who came close to breaking the duck when a Giacomo Nigretti’s cross shot was cleared on the goal line before Christoffer Mafoumbi denied Lorenzo Dormi from inside the penalty area.
The Greens came close to opening the score on a couple of occasions when Jake Grech had a low drive hitting the crossbar before goalkeeper Mattia Migani blocked a Thiaguinho’s close-range effort.
Yet, it was the hosts who opened the score. Tommaso Guidi had a curling effort saved by Alejandro Garzia before Benjamin Boccioletti fired the rebound past Mafoumbi to cut the deficit to just one goal.
Floriana’s reply came through Grech but his effort from tight angle could only glance past Tre Penne’s goal.
The former Balzan midfielder had another effort on goal in the closing stages of the game as Floriana were looking to find the leveller which would put their minds at ease.
The equaliser came deep in stoppage time when Grech met Reid’s assist to slot into empty net to the delight of the Floriana supporters that travelled to San Marino.
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MARSAXLOKK 1 (2)
Yuri 47
PARTIZANI 2 (3)
Cara 48
Keko 90
MARSAXLOKK
M. Drobnjak; N. Raden, L. Lopez, Jefferson (90 P. Nonato, K. Micallef, R. Scicluna, N. Muscat (77 J. Ghio), L. Aguirre, I. Goularte (81 J. Walker), A. Tanque, Yuri.
PARTIZANI
P. Qirko; A. Hadraj, S. Saliou, A. Bytqi, V. Zguro, V. Murataj, G. Maguette, A. Rrapaj, A. Bintsouka (71 C. Mba), T. Cara (86 A. Keko), P. Buxhelaj.
M. Migani; N. Vecchio (90 F, Giovagnoli), N. Lombardi, M. Palazzi, G. Nigretti (90 L. Cecchetti), L. Dormi, A. Amati (86 S. Magrotti), M. Scarponi, B. Boccioletti (86 C. Greco), R. Pieri (74 L. Ceccaroli), T. Guidi.
FLORIANA
C. Mafoumbi; A. Garzia (77 C. Zammit Lonardelli), O. El Hasni, O. Spiteri, A. Kouro, J. Grech, M. Garcia, D. Vella, K. Reid, K. Nwoko (76 Fernandino), Thiaguinho.
