Żabbar St Patrick secured the biggest upset of the Meridianbet FA Trophy when they knocked out Floriana 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the last 16 tie had ended in a goalless draw after 120 minutes of play.
Valletta set up a blockbuster quarter-final tie against Malta champions Ħamrun Spartans when they edged past Tarxien Rainbows 1-0.
However, it was Żabbar who stole all the headlines with a resilient performance against the more-quoted Floriana.
In fact, Aniello Parisi fielded a team full of young talent, with an average age of 21 years, but despite their young age managed to hold their own against Floriana as they produced a resilient display which was rewarded with victory in a penalty shoot-out.
Żabbar started brightly and inside the first ten minutes, Timothy Eviparker saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Guilherme Cioletti.
Floriana responded on 14 minutes when Charles M’Mombwa connected with the ball sweetly on the edge of the area but his volley just missed the upright.
Five minutes later, Floriana were awarded a central free-kick but Jake Grech’s inswinger flew just over the bar.
On 24 minutes, Żabbar threatened again when Pedro Cejas raced through but his shot was kept out by Cioletti.
The Saints’ best chance arrived two minutes later when the excellent Evi Parker sped his way through but was denied by the onrushing Cioletti.
Floriana thought they had taken the lead on 48 minutes when Alen Kurtalic evaded his marker to head the ball past Żabbar goalkeeper Manuel Djalo.
However, after the fourth official checked the ‘goal’ on the Football Video Support and called referee Slobodan Petrovic, who ruled that the goal would not stand due to an offside position.
Here, the match went into a lull, and we had to wait until the 70th minute for the next chance when Matia Veselji’s cross-shot flashed past the upright.
At the other end, Cejas muscled his way through but was denied by the onrushing Cioletti as the match drifted into extra-time.
Six minutes into extra-time, Floriana came agonisingly close when Varela’s cross was somehow kept out by Djalo.
Żabbar’s best chance in the first half of extra-time came on 105 minutes when Mario Fontanella dashed clear, and his low cross was deflected by Mendonca, with Cioletti producing a fine acrobatic save to avoid an own goal.
The second half of extra-time was devoid of chances as neither side managed to break the stalemate and the tie had to be decided in a penalty shoot-out.
Mario Fontanella missed Żabbar’s first penalty as his effort was saved by Gabriele Cioletti but Floriana failed to hold to their advantage as Iago Mendonca’s effort from the spot was saved by Manuel Djalo while Rui Areias saw his shot hit the bar.
Jake Micallef then stepped up to convert the decisive penalty that handed Żabbar a 4-2 win.
At the Centenary Stadium, a first-half penalty from Yuri Messias was enough for the Citizens to reach the next round, where they will face the Spartans, who on Tuesday beat Fgura United 5-0.
On the other hand, Tarxien will be disappointed with the final outcome, particularly after missing the chance of levelling the tie when Nhaysson missed a late penalty.
The first turned out to be a balanced affair with scoring chances few and far between.
Valletta came close on 31 minutes when from a corner action, Emmanuel Mbende’s header finished just over the bar.
However, Valletta were not to be denied as they took the lead four minutes later.
Stijn Meijer was brought down inside the area by Mosquera and the referee pointed to the spot. From the spot, Yuri Messias kept his cool to drill the ball into the net.
After the break, Tarxien stepped up a gear and Musulin saw his shot pushed away by goalkeeper Adilson.
Valletta threatened on the hour mark but Tavares’ effort was saved by the Tarxien goalkeeper.
Tarxien had a golden chance to level the match when on 81 minutes Barbosa was fouled inside the area and the referee ordered the second penalty of the match.
However, from the resulting penalty, Nhaysson failed to hit the target.
After surviving this scare, Valletta shore up their defence to protect their advantage and ensure they progress to the last eight of the competition.
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