Żabbar St Patrick Stun Floriana on penalties in FA Trophy Upset as Valletta advance

Żabbar St Patrick produced the biggest shock of the Meridianbet FA Trophy after eliminating Floriana on penalties following a dramatic goalless draw that stretched to extra time in the last-16.

The Challenge League side held their nerve to win the shoot-out 4–2 after 120 minutes failed to separate the teams, capping a hugely resilient display against one of the competition favourites. Elsewhere, Valletta booked a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with champions Ħamrun Spartans after edging past Tarxien Rainbows 1–0.

Żabbar, however, were the story of the night. Coach Aniello Parisi fielded an exceptionally young side with an average age of just 21, yet his players showed maturity well beyond their years to frustrate Floriana and eventually claim a famous victory.

The Saints began brightly and within the opening ten minutes Timothy Eviparker tested Floriana goalkeeper Guilherme Cioletti, who was equal to the effort. Floriana responded on 14 minutes when Charles M’Mombwa struck a clean volley from the edge of the area, the ball flashing just wide of the post.

Five minutes later, Jake Grech’s inswinging free-kick narrowly cleared the crossbar, while Żabbar remained dangerous on the counter. Pedro Cejas was denied by Cioletti on 24 minutes before Eviparker went even closer two minutes later, only to be stopped by the onrushing Floriana keeper.

Floriana thought they had broken the deadlock shortly after the restart when Alen Kurtalić headed home, but the goal was ruled out following a Football Video Support review that spotted an offside in the build-up.

Chances became scarce as the match wore on, with Matia Veselji’s cross-shot just missing the target on 70 minutes. Cejas then powered through at the other end but was again denied by Cioletti as the contest drifted into extra time.

Floriana came agonisingly close six minutes into extra time when Federico Varela’s cross somehow stayed out, while Żabbar nearly snatched it on 105 minutes. Mario Fontanella broke clear and his low cross was deflected by Iago Mendonça, forcing Cioletti into an acrobatic save to avoid an own goal.

With neither side able to find a breakthrough, penalties were required. Fontanella saw Żabbar’s first effort saved, but Floriana failed to capitalise as Manuel Djalo denied Mendonça and Rui Areias struck the bar. Jake Micallef then calmly converted the decisive kick to seal a memorable 4–2 shoot-out success for Żabbar.

Valletta slip past Tarxien Rainbows

At the Centenary Stadium, Valletta edged Tarxien Rainbows 1–0 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Ħamrun Spartans. The decisive moment came in the first half when Stijn Meijer was brought down in the area and Yuri Messias confidently dispatched the resulting penalty.

Tarxien pushed hard after the interval, with Musulin and Barbosa both testing Valletta’s defence, and they were handed a lifeline late on when Nhaysson won a penalty on 81 minutes. However, the forward failed to convert, allowing Valletta to hold firm and see out the win.

While Valletta march on to a heavyweight quarter-final, it was Żabbar St Patrick who truly captured the spotlight with a famous cup upset that will be remembered for years to come.