Defeats do not come more painful than this. Naxxar Lions had shown commendable fighting spirit to claw back from a two-goal deficit and they looked to have done more than enough to earn a point. The draw seemed inevitable as the four minutes of stoppage time ordered by referee Stefan Pace were about to exhaust but Cain Attard popped up in the box to bury the ball home and break the Naxxar’s hearts. 

The pressure was on Birkirkara to get back on track after the painful defeat to Senglea last week but it was Mqabba who trudged off the pitch with their heads held high as, for the umpteenth time this season they showed that with the right work ethic, tactical discipline and team spirit, even with limited resourced they can do well in the top flight. 

Creative fare was at a premium in the initial stages as the two teams toiled to establish a foothold. Ryan Grech tried his luck with a speculative shot that was high and wide. 

A long-range drive from Jake Grech on 21 minutes signaled the first spell of sustained pressure from Birkirkara. The former Hamrun midfielder’s effort demanded a flying intervention from Christoph Nicht as the Stripes went close to breaching Naxxar’s goal. 

Grech’s class instigated a real sense of urgency for Birkirkara as Cain Attard switched flanks with Ryan Camenzuli to deliver an inch-perfect cross which was well met by Grech who control the ball with his first touch and then fired an unstoppable rising shot past Nicht. 

Moments later, Philip Schranz had to dive full length to turn away an excellent free kick from Daniel Bustos as Naxxar bounced back immediately. 

Refusing to sit back, Birkirkara persisted with playing the more technical football. When the game was approaching mid-point, Birkirkara tried to kill off Naxxar when they moved 2-0 ahead. A perfectly weighted cross from Bruno de Brito fell invitingly in front of Luke Montebello at the far post who beat Nicht hands down. 

But fears that Birkirkara’s second goal would undermine Naxxar’s confidence failed to materialise as Stuart Watkiss’s brave troops pulled one back soon after the break. Grech zipped open the defence with a penetrating pass for Daren Falzon who timed his run to perfection before rounding onrushing Schranz to deposit the ball into the net. 

The sight of de Brito advancing unchallenged caused consternation for Naxxar past the hour mark, but the Brazilian shot high and wide. 

The ball was transferred quickly upfield to Duane Bonnici who swung in a dangerous cross from the left but Falzon was too far away to make contact with the ball. 

The Lions stunned their more-quoted opponents for a second time, when Scott Fenwick’s outswinging cross from the left sparked chaos in the Birkirkara defence who failed to clear the ball which fell to Bustos to fire the ball home. 

As the minutes ticked away, Naxxar threatened to punish Birkirkara’s flat-out approach with some devastating counter-attacks. Eight minutes from time, Bonnici broke on the counter as he sped forward on the left flank but dragged an angled grounder just wide off the far post. 

Four minutes later, Bustos forced Schranz into another smart save when the Birkirkara goalkeeper pushed his effort from a free-kick around the post. 

However, Naxxar’s efforts came to naught when Birkirkara were awarded a freekick and Grech’s in-swinging cross caused chaos in the Naxxar defence before Attard resolved a goalmouth melee by rifling the ball home.

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