Żurrieq 1
Birżebbuġa SP 1

A Mead Mifsud goal in stoppage time saved Żurrieq from defeat yesterday as the troubled Reds halted a negative sequence of three consecutive defeats.

Birżebbuġa were left to rue their ill luck as three points would have suited them better in their bid not to get embroiled in the relegation issue.

Żurrieq had most of the possession in the initial stages as Birżebbuġa defended en masse.

However, on the half hour Paolo Cataldi hit badly from a good position and then Glanville Goodlip beat the Żurrieq keeper for Birżebbuġa to go in for the break leading 1-0.

Żurrieq came out charging in the second half and a Stephen Wellman free-kick was saved by keeper Christian Cassar.

Żurrieq maintained their attacking stance only for substitute Daniel Zammit to lose poise from an inviting position after a fine choral move.

Glenn Bonello drove the ball high and wide with only the Birżebbuġa goalkeeper to beat and the Reds were unlucky not to have equalised on 85 minutes when from a Mifsud free-kick, Aaron Agius hit the foot of a post. From the loose ball, Stefan Giglio saw his effort booted off the line by Dennis Baldacchino.

When everything seemed lost for Żurrieq, Mifsud was on the right spot to profit from some indecision inside the Birżebbuġa half and hit home with a rasping drive from well outside the area that had the better of Cassar.

Żurrieq: J. Alden, K. Sacco, J. Garnier (D. Zammit), S. Giglio, S. Wellman, M. Cocks, Z. Vukovic, A. Agius, M. Schembri (M. Mifsud), G. Bonello (S. Azzopardi), O.L. Agboebina.

Birżebbuġa: C. Cassar, R. Zammit, P. Grima, D. Baldacchino, M. Hrubsa, G. Goodlip (F. Peplow), K. Borg, E. Cankja (D. Grech), C. Calleja, R. Celeste (G. Caruana), P. Cataldi.

Referee: Adrian Azzopardi.

Man of the match: Stephen Wellman (Żurrieq).