Birżebbuġa St Peter’s came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw against Gżira United in the VBET Malta Premier League on Sunday, with Gabriel Costa converting two second-half penalties to secure a point for the Saints.

The result did little to improve either side’s prospects of avoiding a Bottom Six finish, with both teams remaining near the foot of the standings as the competition approaches its next phase.

Gżira enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and thought they had taken an early lead through Mohamed Fofana, only for the effort to be disallowed following a handball in the build-up.

The Maroons continued to press forward and almost broke the deadlock when Gabriel Bohrer Mentz unleashed a powerful free-kick that struck the crossbar, with Fofana sending the rebound over the target.

Brooklyn Borg then forced an excellent save from Birżebbuġa goalkeeper Mattia Chiesa, who turned his close-range effort behind for a corner.

His brother Andrew also tried his luck with an ambitious long-range volley but failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

Birżebbuġa gradually settled into the encounter and created an opportunity through captain Alex Bruno, who fired wide following a promising attacking move.

Yuri Messias also threatened from a free-kick, but his effort failed to find the target.

Gżira’s pressure eventually paid off in the 42nd minute when Francisco Saldanha, also known as Luisinho, curled a fine effort beyond Chiesa to put the Maroons ahead.

The hosts almost doubled their advantage shortly afterwards, but Chiesa produced another important save to deny Luisinho and keep Birżebbuġa within touching distance at the interval.

Birżebbuġa coach Luciano Santana responded with a tactical reshuffle at half-time, introducing Zach Cassar and Stipe Tokic in place of Messias and Kurt Bondin.

The Saints switched to a 3-5-2 formation to match Gżira’s system, with Tokic providing an additional attacking option alongside the existing centre-forward.

The changes had the desired effect as Birżebbuġa began the second half with greater urgency.

Their improved approach was rewarded shortly after the restart when Costa was fouled inside the penalty area.

The Brazilian took responsibility for the resulting spot-kick and calmly converted in the 52nd minute to restore parity.

Gżira responded positively and threatened through Mentz, whose header was saved by Chiesa as the Maroons attempted to regain control.

The hosts eventually restored their advantage in the 65th minute when Miguel Azzopardi brought down Fofana inside the penalty area.

Mentz stepped forward and emphatically dispatched the penalty into the top corner, giving Chiesa no chance and putting Gżira 2-1 ahead.

However, Birżebbuġa refused to surrender and continued searching for another equaliser.

Their persistence was rewarded when they were awarded a second penalty in the 69th minute.

Costa again stepped forward and made no mistake from the spot in the 71st minute, completing his brace and bringing the Saints level for the second time.

With the score at 2-2, both teams pushed forward in search of a decisive goal.

Gżira came particularly close when Mentz connected with another close-range header, but Chiesa was once again equal to the task, producing an important save to preserve the stalemate.

Despite further efforts from both sides, neither team managed to find a winner as the encounter ended with the points shared.

The result represented another frustrating afternoon for Gżira, who twice surrendered their advantage despite creating several promising opportunities.

For Birżebbuġa, Costa’s two penalties secured a valuable point, although the Saints remain under pressure as they seek to improve their position in the standings.

Both sides will need to produce stronger results in their remaining fixtures if they are to avoid finishing among the bottom six teams.

Result

Gżira United 2-2 Birżebbuġa St Peter’s

Scorers: Luisinho 42, Gabriel Bohrer Mentz 65 (pen.) (G); Gabriel Costa 52 (pen.), 71 (pen.) (B).

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