Mosta 2
Obiefule 41, 47;
Mqabba 2
Nwoba 51, Mamic 90;
Mqabba staged a stirring fightback from two goals down to earn a point against Mosta.
Clive Mizzi’s side were without a win in their last three matches and looked condemned to another defeat as Mosta took total control early in the match.
Obinna Obiefule gave Mosta the lead just before half-time and the Nigerian’s stunning header after the restart appeared to give the Blues an unassailable advantage.
But Mqabba’s hopes were then revived by John Nwoba’s header before substitute Bojan Mamic’s last-gasp goal gave them a point that was greeted in a manner of a victory by the Reds supporters.
The Mqabba coach made four changes from the side that suffered a 5-0 defeat to Tarxien Rainbows.
He dropped Mark Anthony Psaila, Claudio Calleja, Mamic and Julian Briffa in favour of Rene Duca, Ryan Sammut and David Azzopardi while Bransilav Timotic returned from suspension.
On his part, Steve D’Amato, the Mosta coach, retained the same team that drew against Ħamrun Spartans last Monday.
Mqabba enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and they worked the Mosta team around the pitch as their superior passing game made D’Amato’s side toil.
They had a glorious chance on the half-hour mark when Mauro Bonnici cut back for David Fenech, who was allowed time and space in the Mosta box to shoot but keeper Jonathan Debono parried with his foot.
Fenech, tried again from close-range, six minutes later, as he pounced on a defensive mix-up between Debono and Yannick Ossok. His side-footer, though, lacked conviction and it was directed straight at the goalkeeper who fielded the ball.
Yet, that did not stop Mosta from taking the lead, albeit against the run of play, through Obiefule.
The Mqabba rearguard fluffed a clearance which fell to Dyson Falzon from the edge of the box with Obie-fule alert enough to turn home the midfielder’s cross which appeared to be going wide and the Mqabba players failing to react.
Kris Calleja’s goal was breached again after the break.
The modus operandi was always the same with Obiefule latching on to Falzon’s long cross, chipping Calleja with a glancing header.
Buoyed by their two-goal cushion, Mosta unwisely opted to sit back and absorb the pressure from their shell-shocked opponents.
Mqabba started to push forward in a bid to get back into contention and four minutes later, Duca centred the ball towards Nwoba who headed home.
Mosta still found openings in the Mqabba rearguard and Gilbert Martin offered a reminder of his pace and skill with a single, devastating burst of pace which finished off with a low drive that finished straight at Calleja.
At this point, Mizzi opted to withdraw Azzopardi and Thiago Mazzitelli and roped in Claudio Calleja, to add flair and composure, and the towering Mamic who added weight upfront in a bid to turn the match around.
On 75 minutes, Mqabba had a penalty shout turned down by referee Paul Caruana as Nwoba’s shot looked to have been blocked by Ossok’s hand.
On 85 minutes, Mosta tried to punish Mqabba’s flat-out approach with a quick counter-attack. Florent Raimy carved the Reds’ defence wide open with a surging run before serving Obiefule whose rising shot was tipped over the bar by Calleja.
With Mosta now protecting a narrow lead, Mqabba sensed they could secure an unlikely point and it duly arrived in the closing stages.
Debono did superbly to claw away Nwoba’s effort but when Mamic pounced on the loose ball, he sent in a shot that the Mosta goalkeeper could not keep out.
Mqabba almost snatched victory at the death but Mamic’s free-kick finished just wide.
There were no doubts that the Mosta fans were the happier of the lot when referee Caruana sounded the final whistle of an enthralling game.
Mosta
J. Debono-6, A. Borg-6, F. Tisbi-7, Y. Ossok-6.5, A. Cini-6, J. Bajada-5 (75 I. Zammit), K. Magro-5 (39 S. Grech-6), F. Raimy-6.5, D. Falzon-8, G. Martin-6.5, O. Obiefule-7.
Mqabba
K. Calleja-6, R. Duca-6 (81 J.P. Muscat), B. Timotic-6, P. Grima-6, M. Potezika-5.5, D. Azzopardi-6 (53 C. Calleja-5), D. Fenech-7, T. Mazzitelli-5 (68 B. Mamic-7), J. Nwoba-7, M. Bonnici-6.5, R. Sammut-6.
Referee: Paul Caruana.
Yellow cards: Potezika, Azzopardi, Grech, Cini, Borg, Raimy, Ossok
BOV player of the match: Dyson Falzon (Mosta).
Attendance: 1,187.