Floriana rescued a dramatic late draw after Amar Drina’s 102nd-minute goal earned them a 1-1 stalemate against Drita in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie at the Centenary Stadium on Tuesday night.

The match, played in sweltering heat, was repeatedly disrupted by electricity failures, with play halted on four separate occasions as floodlight outages caused lengthy delays and frustration among supporters.

Both sides approached the tie knowing that the winners would face San Marino’s SS Tre Fiori in the third qualifying round — a favourable draw that could potentially pave the way to a play-off berth.

Floriana coach Daniel Portela handed a debut to new signing Paul Mbong following the Malta international’s permanent move to the Greens. His inclusion, alongside Mustapha Jah and fellow summer recruit Robert Muric, gave Floriana a more familiar look reminiscent of last season’s championship-winning side.

Drita made the brighter start and created an early opening, but Guilherme Cioletti produced an important block to prevent an early breakthrough.

Although Floriana enjoyed more possession, their first meaningful effort came through Muric, whose shot was comfortably blocked by the Drita goalkeeper.

The Kosovans continued to threaten, with Igball Jashari creating a couple of openings but failing to find the target. Jorgo Pellumbi then went close with a close-range volley that was superbly kept out by Cioletti as Drita carved out the better opportunities during the opening half hour.

Five minutes before the break, Jashari cut inside from the left before firing straight at Cioletti.

Floriana thought they had taken the lead shortly before half-time when Carlo Zammit Lonardelli headed home after being picked out by Muric, but the assistant referee flagged for offside.

The Greens then squandered a glorious opportunity as Mbong rounded the goalkeeper but blazed over from point-blank range.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Jashari raced clear of the Floriana defence, only for Cioletti to produce another excellent save from close range, with both players requiring treatment following the collision.

Just after the hour mark, Portela introduced Kerim Dervišagić in place of Muric as Floriana searched for greater attacking impetus.

At the other end, Arb Manaj found himself in a promising position, but his tame effort was comfortably blocked by Cioletti as the deadlock remained intact with 20 minutes to play.

In the 75th minute, the match was halted for a second time because of an electricity failure, following an earlier outage shortly after the restart. Power cuts have become a recurring issue across the Maltese islands in recent days.

Play resumed six minutes later.

Four minutes from normal time, Blerim Krasniqi tested Cioletti again, but the Floriana goalkeeper was equal to the effort.

The drama intensified in the first minute of 13 minutes of added time when the floodlights failed for a fourth time, prompting further frustration among the spectators.

When play eventually resumed, Drita finally broke the deadlock in the 96th minute. Liridon Baraj latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball before delicately lifting his finish over the advancing Cioletti.

Floriana refused to surrender and drew level in the 102nd minute when substitute Amar Drina, introduced just four minutes earlier, fired a low finish into the net following a corner.

The Greens almost completed a remarkable turnaround moments later, but Tomislav Gudelj’s close-range effort crashed against the crossbar.

There was still time for Varela to threaten inside the area, but he failed to make the necessary connection as Floriana settled for a hard-earned draw ahead of next week’s second leg.