Matchday 23: Valletta 0 Zabbar SP 0
17/02/2026
Żabbar St Patrick produced another spirited performance under the guidance of new coach Gilbert Agius, earning a second successive point with a hard-fought goalless draw against Valletta.
Before kick-off, Saints coach Gilbert Agius — a legendary figure in the Valletta shirt — crossed the touchline to greet his former supporters. He tossed a bouquet of red roses into the stands as the supporters roared back: “There is only one captain.”
Żabbar St Patrick lined up in a disciplined 4-4-2, with Ariel Gambarte and Pedro Cejas spearheading the attack. Valletta made just one change from their 2-0 victory over Gżira United, Thaylor Aldama replacing Yannick Yankam in the starting XI.
Valletta threatened early on.
Nine minutes elapsed, Ahmed Adebayo’s neat footwork carved open space before he teed up Aldama, but Żabbar goalkeeper Gonzalo Colombo reacted sharply to turn the effort around the post.
The Saints responded on 22 minutes. Brian Gambarte combined smartly with Zean Leonardi, who unleashed a rising drive that forced Adilson into a fingertip save.
Still, Valletta dominated possession, camped on the edge of the Żabbar area and probing for an opening.
Just before the interval, Aldama flashed a dangerous low diagonal cross across the face of goal, but no team-mate arrived to apply the finishing touch.
At the interval, Agius made his first move, introducing Luis Rodrigues for Nicholas Agius. The Saints emerged with intent, pressing Valletta high and unsettling their backline in the opening exchanges of the second half.
On 54 minutes, Andrea Zammit ignited the crowd with a surging run down the left. Adebayo collected possession from the Maltese forward and slipped in the overlapping Aldama, but Kean Scicluna read the danger well and shut the move down.
It proved to be Zammit’s final involvement, as Thane Micallef responded with a double substitution, sending on Diogo Tavares, back after serving a six-match suspension and Brandon Paiber.
Żabbar continued to threaten. Miguel Figueiredo squandered a gilt-edged chance with a tame effort from a promising position.
On 62 minutes, a Saints corner caused further anxiety when Gambarte swung the ball in dangerously, Adilson punched clear, and Rodrigues blazed the rebound over the bar. Moments later, Figueiredo forced another intervention as his attempt was deflected behind for a corner.
Valletta replied swiftly. Aldama burst past Jurgen Pisani on the right and squared for Yuri Messias, who fired high and wide from a favourable position.
Sensing urgency, Valletta reshuffled for the final 20 minutes, switching to a back three as Yannick Yankam replaced Matthias Ellul in a bid to chase the winner.
In the 78th minute, Messias briefly had the supporters on their feet when he latched onto a loose ball inside the area, only to find the side netting.
Five minutes from time, Messias delivered from the right, but Stijn Meijer failed to direct his header on target with Gonzalo Colombo stranded.
A minute from time, Paiber unleashed a rasping drive that Colombo struggled to contain, and with Scicluna rushing to his aid, Żabbar managed to scramble the ball behind for a corner.
More drama unfolded in the dying seconds.
Thaylor’s backward header caught Adilson off his line, and the goalkeeper, stranded outside his area, could only chest the ball clear before losing possession to Rodrigues. The forward drove toward goal but was brought down by Paiber in a desperate challenge.
From the resulting free-kick, Figueiredo’s strike appeared to brush Thaylor’s arm, yet the referee waved away the appeals and immediately blew for full-time.
Source: times of Malta
VALLETTA: A. Maringa, M. Ellul (70 Y. Yankam), S. Borg, A. Zammit (55 D Tavares), J. Azzopardi, A. Adebayo (80 S. Meijer), E. Mbende, Y. Messias, S. Radic, T. Aldama, J. Mendoza (55 B. Paiber).
ŻABBAR SP: G. Colombo, B. Figueiredo, S. Cejas, B. Gambarte, N. Agius (46 L. Rodrigues), J. Micallef, M. Ayom (87 V. De Paiva), S. Jovancic, Z. Leonardi, K. Scicluna, J. Pisani.
Yellow cards: Radic, Azzopardi, Messais, Paiber
Referee: Emanuel Grech
