BIRKIRKARA-1, MOSTA-1
Mosta struck in the dying minutes to rescue a point from their clash with Birkirkara as the game ended 1-1.
Edin Murga stole the limelight as the Bosnian striker, on loan from Birkirkara, punished his parent club with a well-taken goal three minutes from the end after the unconvincing Stripes had taken an early lead through Vito Plut.
While Murga's goal enabled Mosta to avoid a second straight defeat, Birkirkara were held to their second draw in five games.
A Rodriguez Ekani free-kick, from the right, was then easily stopped by Justin Haber, the Birkirkara goalkeeper.
Scoring chances were at a premium in the early stages but Birkirkara opened the scoring on 25 minutes.
Brazilian forward Liliu played a key role as his powerful run on the the right unlocked Mosta defence before he squared to Plut who tapped home from close in.
Three minutes later, Mosta had a half-chance as the Birkirkara defence's half-clearance from Ryan Grech's cross fell to Samuel Chukwide whose drive was blocked by Haber.
Despite their early advantage, Birkirkara struggled for fluency as Mosta were holding their own.
Early in the second half, Birkirkara should have extended their lead when Plut surged clear on the right before picking out the unmarked Liliu who miscued his shot at the far post.
At the other end, Mosta also came close as Chukwide's cross from a right-wing free-kick triggered a goalmouth scramble with Fidelis nipping in to nod the ball goalwards but Haber was alert.
Liliu missed another great opportunity as he headed wide after meeting Plut's cross from the right.
Mosta should have equalised when Mano Micallef's through-ball sent Fidelis through but the Nigerian fired wide with the goal at his mercy.
The match was tense with neither team giving away an inch.
Mosta levelled three minutes from time.
Edin Murga punished his parent club as the Bosnian striker cut in from the left before drilling a perfect shot into the far corner.
The Stripes protested for a penalty after Herrera went down in the box following a challenge but Tonna saw nothing wrong.
Amid the rising tension, Mauricio Mazzetti was shown a straight red card after hitting Ice Cream Guobadia in an off-the-ball incident.
Birkirkara striker Plut was named BOV player of the match.