Floriana squandered a two-goal advantage as Mosta staged a dramatic late comeback to earn a 3-3 draw in an entertaining VBET Malta Premier encounter at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.
The Greens appeared to be heading towards a comfortable victory after capitalising on defensive errors to establish a 3-1 lead at half-time. However, Mosta refused to surrender and struck twice in the closing stages to salvage a valuable point.
The opening exchanges were evenly contested, with neither side able to establish control until Carlo Zammit Lonardelli produced a moment of brilliance in the 20th minute.
Awarded a free-kick in a central position, Zammit Lonardelli curled an excellent effort into the top corner to put Floriana ahead.
Mosta responded just five minutes later when Floriana midfielder Ivan Kurtalic misplaced a header into the path of Nevin Portelli, who made no mistake in beating goalkeeper Cioletti to restore parity.
Floriana regained the advantage in the 33rd minute following another costly defensive mistake. Mosta goalkeeper David Akpan saw his attempted pass intercepted by Kenan Dervisagic, who calmly rolled the ball into an unguarded net.
The Greens extended their lead in first-half stoppage time when Prince brought down Romano inside the penalty area. Paul Mbong stepped up and confidently converted the resulting spot-kick to give Floriana a seemingly commanding 3-1 advantage at the interval.
The second half initially lacked the intensity of the opening period, with Mosta introducing several promising youngsters in an attempt to change the course of the encounter.
The substitutions eventually paid dividends as the Blues mounted an impressive late recovery.
In the 86th minute, Ryan Debono rose to meet Nevin Portelli’s delivery and headed home to reduce the deficit to a single goal.
Buoyed by their second goal, Mosta continued to press forward in search of an equaliser.
Their persistence was rewarded in the closing stages when Floriana defender Nikita Shchpetekin inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net following a corner, completing a remarkable comeback.
The result represented a frustrating afternoon for Floriana, who had looked firmly in control for much of the contest but failed to protect their advantage.
For Mosta, the draw was a reward for their determination and the positive impact of their younger players, who helped turn what appeared to be a certain defeat into a hard-earned point.
Floriana 3–3 Mosta
Scorers: Carlo Zammit Lonardelli 20′, Kenan Dervisagic 33′, Paul Mbong 45+1′ (pen); Nevin Portelli 25′, Ryan Debono 86′, Nikita Shchpetekin (own goal).
Venue: Tony Bezzina Stadium.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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