Floriana’s late comeback shocks Tarxien

Tarxien R 1 Floriana 1 A victory would have lifted Tarxien in second place jointly with Birkirkara and Valletta, such is the congested nature of the standings this season but after the break, Tarxien committed the unforgettable mistake to sit back and absorb pressure from opponents and had to content with the share of spoils and the fourth place alongside Mosta. Floriana took 12 minutes to fashion their first chance. Cilia veered from the right before slipping a perfect pass from Coronado heading for a one-on-one with David Cassar but the Tarxien goalkeeper did well to anticipate the Floriana midfielder. The first 35 minutes passed with Tarxien having failed to muster a single chance. Then, Daniel Mariano Bueno released Danilo whose diagonal strike finished just off the foot of the far post. Moments later, Andrezinho tried to unbalance the goalkeeper by slotting a shot between his legs but the ball got stuck under Tony Warner’s body. Tarxien continued to produce the better football. Five minutes from half-time, Danilo latched to an Andrezinho’s free-kick and flicked the ball home. The one-way pattern persisted after the break as Tarxien remained dominant. Close to the hour mark,...