ZABBAR ST PATRICK 0
FLORIANA 3
Dervisagic 20, Grech 72, Beerman 88
ŻABBAR ST PATRICK
M. Issufe, M. Soldo (46 B. Gambarte), P. Cejas, JN. Agius (59 L. Micallef), J. Micallef, M. Ayom (68 . DePaiva), S. Jovancic, Z. Leonardi, R. Scicluna (85 Z. Polidano), K. Scicluna (84 M. Forte), J. Pisani.
FLORIANA
G. Cioletti, M. Beerman, J. Grech (84 E. Piscopo), K. Dervisagic (84 Z. Scerri), F. Varela, D. Vella, A. Kurtalic, O. Spiteri, J. Mustapha (75 R. Areias), I. Mendonca, M. Veselji (87 D. Attard).
Referee: Emanuel Grech.
Yellow cards: Jovancic, R. Scicluna, Jah.
Floriana exacted sweet revenge on Żabbar St Patrick following their shock FA Trophy elimination, inflicting a third consecutive defeat on the Saints.
For Floriana this was their third win of the campaign and climb to the top of the table alongside surprise package Gżira.
Mustapha Jah for Rui Areias was the only change in Floriana’s starting XI that turned the tables on Mosta in their last outing, as they were again forced to cope without the services of Carlo Zammit Lonardelli, who is still sidelined as he continues his recovery from injury.
Tanzania midfielder Charles M’Mombwa was still serving the third and final match of his suspension and is expected to return to action in Wednesday’s fixture against eternal rivals Valletta.
His counterpart at Żabbar ran the changes from the 2-1 defeat to Naxxar last week, as Ryan and Kean Scicluna returned from suspension and Jovancic Strahinja was recalled to the starting line-up.
Mayron and Jurgen Pisani were also back at the coach’s disposal, while Manuel Issufe Djalo retained his place between the posts after a heroic display in the FA Trophy.
Former Marsaxlokk striker Ayom Majok spearheaded the Żabbar attack.
The Greens were determined to avenge their ‘heartbreaking’ elimination from the FA Trophy at the hands of the same opponents, made a positive start and took the lead with the very first real chance they created.
On the 20-minute mark, Kenan Dervigovic found himself in the right place at the right time and calmly slotted the ball home from close range.
Floriana maintained the pressure and came close to doubling their advantage three minutes later, when Iago Mendonça tried his luck with a long-range effort that finished narrowly over the crossbar.
Żabbar responded five minutes later, with Ayom Ayok firing in a shot from a tight angle, but his effort also finished just over the bar, as the Saints looked to find a way back into the match.
In a bid to wrest back control of the match, Parisi turned to Brian Gambarte, introducing the Żabbar skipper in place of Miro Soldo. Gambarte had been confined to the bench since the Saints’ 2–1 defeat to Naxxar during the Bottom Six phase.
Żabbar threatened again in the 54th minute when Pisani went close to scoring against his former club.
However, his close-range effort from under the crossbar sailed narrowly over, allowing Floriana to escape unscathed.
On 68 minutes, the Żabbar coach also injected fresh pace into the flanks by introducing Vinicius De Paiva as a flying winger.
Floriana, however, put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd minute by doubling their advantage.
Mattia Veselji delivered an inviting cross into the area, which was met by Jake Grech, who made no mistake from close range with a low finish to register his ninth goal of the campaign.
Floriana continued to dictate proceedings and, in the dying moments of stoppage time, sealed the victory with a third goal.
Myles Beerman crowned the performance with a superb long-range strike, registering his first goal in the green shirt since joining his childhood club from Sliema Wanderers in January.
