ZEBBUG RANGERS 1 MOSTA 3
Mosta had the final say, thanks largely to the flair of their forward line who scored three second half goals in 32 minutes.
Bar a short spell in the first half, Zebbug were lacklustre for most of the match before rallying in the closing minutes but their confused reaction only produced a series of series of speculative shots before cutting the deficit towards the end.
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of former Malta National coach Terenzio Polverini and former Malta FA president Judge Maurice Caruana Curran.
Past the first quarter, Ciantar delivered a cross from the right towards Rashid Yusseff who headed the ball goalwards to force Omar Borg into a fine save.
Seven minutes later, it was Mosta’s turn to put some pressure on the opposing rearguard as Babangida did well to slip the ball towards Fortune who evaded the offside trap but shot over the bar.
Mosta prevailed in the opening stages after the restart with Ian Zammit floating a free-kick into the path of Babangida who hit a crisp first-time volley that flashed into the low corner.
The goal was a clear lift for the Mosta who doubled their lead on 76 minutes in rather 'fortuitous' circumstances. Zebbug goalkeeper Emanuel Bartolo flapped as he tried to clear substitute James Brincat’s cross-shot from left. Ian Zammit was on hand to head the ball home despite David Reano’s desperate bid to clear the ball before crossing the line.
Greco introduced Thomas Paris and Mauricio Britto in his bid to redress the balance but that change inevitably left the Yellows exposed to Mosta’s swift raids.
On 79 minutes, they profited from the gaps in the Zebbug’s defence. Bartolo rushed from his line to punch clear the ball but it landed at the feet of Fortune, who outplayed the onrushing goalkeeper before depositing the ball into an empty net.
Zebbug managed to pull one back on 81 minutes when Jacob Borg was felled into the box by Karl Pulo. As the Mosta defender was given the marching order, Carlo Monti smash the spot kick high into the roof of the net.