Żabbar St Patrick fail to boost Top Six hopes as Mosta fight back to take point

Żabbar St Patrick missed out on the chance of pushing for a Top Six place in the YoHealth Malta Premier as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against second-from-bottom Mosta at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.

The Saints came into the match in desperate need of the three points to pile up the pressure on Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk who are currently sharing sixth place on 13 points.

However, despite taking an early lead in the second half, the Żabbar side failed to maintain their advantage as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The final result does little to boost their aspirations as Żabbar St Patrick have now moved on the 10-point mark, but could find themselves six points adrift of both Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk should the latter two emerge victorious from their clashes against Floriana and Sliema Wanderers respectively.

The match was bereft of scoring chances for much of the opening half, with Żabbar holding a slight edge but rarely really tested the Mosta defence.

The match finally came to life after the break, and it was Żabbar who took a deserved lead on 72 minutes when Zean Leonardi kept his composure to fire the ball into the net.

However, Żabbar’s joy was shortlived as they only managed to preserve their advantage for eight minutes.

In fact, Mosta managed to level matters on 78 minutes when they were awarded a penalty and Leo Fernandes stepped up to fire the ball home and earn the Blues a point.