Goals from Tobias Terraza and Milos Jovicic secured three valuable points for the Saints, who showed determination and attacking confidence throughout the encounter despite facing one of the league’s leading sides.
The victory lifted Żabbar level with Balzan on 11 points, six ahead of Gżira United and Birżebbuġa St Peter’s, while Floriana remained fourth in the standings on 16 points.
The Greens must now secure at least a draw in their final League Phase encounter against leaders Valletta to guarantee their place among the top six teams.
Żabbar made a blistering start and stunned their opponents by taking the lead after just eight minutes.
A swift counterattack saw Terraza break through the Floriana defence and race towards goal. Although his initial effort struck the upright, the striker reacted quickly to the rebound and made no mistake at the second attempt.
The early setback forced Floriana onto the offensive as they attempted to restore parity.
In the 16th minute, Kenon Dervisagic connected with a cross and directed a downward header towards goal, but Żabbar goalkeeper Patrick Mohorovic produced an excellent save.
Floriana continued to press forward and eventually found their equaliser in spectacular fashion in the 24th minute.
Myles Beerman collected possession before unleashing a powerful drive that flew beyond the helpless Mohorovic and into the top corner of the net.
The impressive strike appeared to have shifted the momentum in Floriana’s favour, but Żabbar refused to retreat and continued to threaten whenever they ventured forward.
Their persistence was rewarded one minute before half-time when Milos Jovicic rose to meet a corner and headed the ball into the net to restore the Saints’ advantage.
The goal ensured that Żabbar entered the interval with a deserved 2-1 lead, leaving Floriana facing a difficult task in the second half.
The champions attempted to increase the tempo after the restart, but Żabbar remained dangerous on the counterattack.
In the 55th minute, the Saints almost extended their advantage when Vinicius Mendonca capitalised on some careless Floriana defending to regain possession inside the penalty area.
However, his shot on the turn sailed narrowly over the crossbar, allowing the Greens to escape further punishment.
Floriana responded almost immediately, with Stephen Odey delivering a dangerous dipping cross towards Dunstan Vella, whose header drifted just wide of the upright.
As the second half progressed, Floriana pushed increasingly forward in search of an equaliser, while Żabbar defended resolutely and looked to exploit the spaces left behind.
The Greens came agonisingly close to drawing level in the 74th minute when Paul Mbong unleashed a low effort that struck the post, much to the frustration of the Floriana players.
With time running out, Floriana continued to search for a way back into the contest, but Żabbar maintained their defensive organisation.
Eight minutes from time, the Saints thought they had put the result beyond doubt when Alfredo Agyeman fired past Floriana goalkeeper Gabriele Cioletti.
However, the goal was disallowed for offside, leaving the outcome uncertain heading into the closing stages.
Despite Floriana’s late pressure, Żabbar successfully protected their slender advantage to secure a memorable victory over the reigning champions.
The result represented another important step forward for the Saints, whose confidence has grown as they seek to improve their position in the standings.
For Floriana, the defeat came at a particularly costly stage of the campaign, leaving them under pressure ahead of their decisive encounter against Valletta.
Result
Żabbar St Patrick 2-1 Floriana
Scorers: Tobias Terraza 8, Milos Jovicic 44 (Ż); Myles Beerman 24 (F).
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
Leave a Reply