Żabbar St Patrick 2
Miloš Jovičić, Vinicius Mendonça

Balzan 1
Yuel Kuach

Żabbar St Patrick came from behind to secure a valuable 2-1 victory over Balzan in the VBET Malta Premier League on Saturday, handing new coach Adolfo Sormani a winning debut.

The victory also marked the first success for majority owner Dragan Šolak since taking control of the club and lifted the Saints to eight points, moving them away from the bottom two places.

Balzan, meanwhile, remained on ten points after suffering a disappointing defeat despite taking an early lead.

The newly promoted side made an excellent start and broke the deadlock after just six minutes.

A defensive error by Żabbar allowed Bruno Eder to test goalkeeper Patrik Mohorovic, who managed to block his initial effort.

However, Yuel Kuach reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home from close range to give Balzan the advantage.

Żabbar gradually settled into the encounter and threatened with a long-range effort which was saved by Balzan goalkeeper Dylan Ciappara.

The Saints eventually restored parity when Miloš Jovičić converted following an assist from João Camargo.

Sormani’s side almost completed the turnaround shortly afterwards when Jake Micallef connected with a volley, only for Leonardo Fernandes to clear the ball off the goal line.

Balzan had a golden opportunity to regain the lead in the 35th minute when Zean Leonardi slipped in defence, allowing Kuach to race through on goal.

However, the Balzan forward was denied in remarkable fashion as his close-range effort struck both posts before rebounding to safety.

Lucas Macula then fired narrowly wide, while another Balzan effort struck the crossbar as the visitors continued to create opportunities.

Żabbar emerged stronger after the interval and began to impose themselves on the match.

Camargo went close with a free-kick that finished just over the crossbar before the Saints eventually completed their comeback.

Vinicius Mendonça found space inside the penalty area and fired past Ciappara to put Żabbar 2-1 ahead.

Balzan attempted to respond and came close through Awosanya, but Mohorovic produced an excellent save to preserve his team’s advantage.

The visitors’ hopes of salvaging a point suffered a further setback five minutes from time when Awosanya, who had taken over the captain’s armband, was shown a straight red card following an incident involving Camargo.

Żabbar comfortably managed the closing stages against ten-man Balzan to secure three important points.

The victory provided an encouraging start for Sormani, whose appointment has brought renewed optimism to the Saints as they attempt to improve their league position.

For Balzan, the defeat represented a missed opportunity to strengthen their position in the standings after an encouraging opening to their return to the top flight.