ŻABBAR ST PATRICK 5
Figueuredo 13, Gambarte 29, Youngwon 48, Cejas 70, Ayom 83
MOSTA 3
Chibuzor 7, Portelli 15, Fernandes 73
Żabbar St Patrick and Mosta served up a thrilling encounter packed with goals, drama and end-to-end action as both sides battled for crucial points at the lower end of the standings.
With Żabbar looking to distance themselves from the relegation zone and Mosta desperate to climb from the bottom of the table, the match quickly turned into an open contest that produced a flurry of goals and several decisive moments.
By the final whistle, it was the Saints who emerged on the upper hand after a high-tempo clash that kept supporters on the edge of their seats.
It was an explosive start to the encounter as both sides went on the offensive from the first whistle, fully aware of the importance of the points at stake.
Żabbar St. Patrick FC entered the match tenth with six points, while Mosta FC sat rock bottom with only a single point, making victory crucial for both teams.
Mosta struck first when João Vitor squared the ball into the path of Prince Chibuzor, who made no mistake from close range to prod the ball home and give the Blues an early advantage.
Żabbar, however, responded in spectacular fashion. In the 12th minute, Miguel Bruno Figueiredo produced a moment of brilliance, unleashing a stunning 30-metre strike that rocketed past the goalkeeper to level the score.
The Saints’ joy was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Fernandes delivered a dangerous cross into the area where Portelli reacted quickest, firing the ball into the back of the net from close range to restore Mosta’s lead.
Żabbar continued to press for another equaliser and were rewarded shy the half hour.
Figueiredo’s powerful effort was bravely blocked by the chest of Kurt Zammit, but the ball fell kindly for Ariel Gambarte, who pounced on the rebound and slotted the ball past goalkeeper David Akpan.
The game remained wide open and chances continued to flow. In the 39th minute, Gambarte capitalised on an erroneous back pass and quickly set up Ayom Ayom.
The Austrian forward had a golden opportunity to put Żabbar ahead before the break, but his effort sailed dramatically over the bar.
Żabbar were again unlucky moments before half-time when Nicholas Agius came close to scoring, only to see his powerful shot crash against the underside of the crossbar with Akpan already beaten.
That effort proved to be Nicholas Agius’s final contribution to the match as, at half-time, Gilbert Agius opted for a change, introducing In Youngwon in place of the lively winger in an attempt to inject fresh energy into Żabbar’s attack.
The substitution paid immediate dividends.
Within minutes of the restart, Ayom Ayom set up the South Korean defender, who had been left unmarked on the edge of the area, and Youngwon made no mistake, driving a low shot beyond the reach of David Akpan to put the Saints ahead.
Mosta tried to respond and created a promising chance on 63 minutes.
Leonardo Fernandes surged forward down the right flank before squaring the ball for Prince Chibuzor, but the forward failed to hit the target, sending his effort wide.
Moments later, referee Emanuel Grech opted for leniency after Akpan brought down Ariel Gambarte with a late challenge outside the penalty area.
The Żabbar striker appeared poised for a clear scoring opportunity, but the referee settled for a yellow card rather than a harsher punishment.
Żabbar’s persistence eventually paid off in the 70th minute through a devastating counter-attack.
Ayom collected the ball on the halfway line and released Jake Micallef, who in turn pulled the ball back perfectly for Pedro Cejas.
The midfielder’s strike beat Akpan with the help of the underside of the crossbar to extend the Saints’ lead.
To their credit, Mosta refused to surrender.
Fernandes again led the charge, cutting in from the right before unleashing a precise diagonal shot that found the net past Ignacio Colombo, giving his side renewed hope.
Any hopes of a late comeback were dashed.
Żabbar restored their two-goal cushion when Bruno Figueiredo delivered a perfectly weighted pass down the right for Ayom, who raced through and calmly slid the ball under the advancing Akpan to seal a thrilling encounter.
