Floriana see off Naxxar to strengthen grip on top spot in Closing Round

A Jake Grech penalty midway through the first half proved decisive for the Greens who are looking to finish top of the Closing Round Top 6 to at least force a play-off final with defending champions Ħamrun Spartans.

The match was devoid of scoring chances early on, with Floriana taking the lead in their first serious raid on 18 minutes.

Paul Mbong stole possession just outside the area, but the Malta forward was pushed inside the area by Mark Fenech with the referee pointing to the spot.

Grech stepped up and sent Jamie Azzopardi the wrong way.

Naxxar tried to respond, and they came close on 25 minutes when from a central free-kick, Joao Sousa’s shot finished well over.

The Lions’ best chance came a minute from the break when Vinicius latched onto a cross but his dipping header came off the upright with goalkeeper Gabriel Cioletti beaten.

On the other end, Mustapha Jah caused mayhem in the Naxxar defence when he raced past two defenders but fired just wide.

Floriana had a glorious chance to double their lead on 63 minutes when Federico Varela saw his shot hit the upright, but from the rebound, Jah incredibly failed to fire home in front of a gaping goal.

Four minutes later, Naxxar suffered a major blow when Louis Pahama was shown a straight red card after the referee reviewed his challenge on Iago Mendonca through the Football Video Support system.

Naxxar, despite being a man down, tried to fight their way back, but their only opportunity came in stoppage time when Vinicius hit a low drive that was well saved by Cioletti.