Tarxien win dooms Zebbug and Pieta

A brace by Darlington Obinna gave Tarxien Rainbows the points they needed to keep on fighting for survival on the BoV Premier League penultimate day against bottom side Zebbug Rangers.

After defeat against Qormi earlier in the afternoon, Pieta Hotspurs also had a keen inter- est in this game to know their fate. This Tarxien win dooms both Zebbug and Pieta to the First Division, but the Rainbows remain deeply embroiled in the struggle to avoid the releagtion play-off, with Qormi, Naxxar Lions and Mosta also involved.

This was a game of mediocre standard, between two teams in desperate need of points, but a profusion of narrow escapes in a nerve-jangling evening at Hibernians Stadium.

Injuries and suspensions to Ishmael Grech and Kane Farrugia, depleted Tarxien further, already bereft of Jorge Yepes and Carlos Hevia Menendez.

Zebbug, who had Manuel Bartolo back in goal, were missing the services of the suspended Paltemio Barbetti, with Kurt Zammit handed a start.

An early Montebello effort, slightly missing the target, hinted to Rangers’ bright opening but they were dealt a blow after 20 minutes when their injured defender David Reano had to be replaced by Lee Galea.

Tarxien, who had rarely ventured out of their own half, broke away through Soly past the half hour, the ball fell to Obinna, whose effort was turned into a corner by keeper Bartolo.

Zebbug settled again, taking possession for periods, without threatening the Tarxien goal, except for a Britto shot from a distance.

On 40 minutes Monti rattled the bar ith a drilling shot on Britto’s cross.

But the goal came at the opposite end one minute before the break. Some sloppy defending by Zebbug allowed Obinna to poke the ball past keeper Bartolo from Aboulezz’s corner from the left.

There was still time aplenty for Zebbug to rectify the situation in the second half, but when you are clinging to a cliff, the odds are that things go against you.

Past the hour, Tarxien stretched their lead when Casado slipped as he tried to cross from inside the Zebbug area, but the ball still came clean for Obinna to steer it low past keeper Bartolo.

With Tarxien not keen to force the pace after that comfortable two-goal cushion, Zebbug were expected to put some late effort, although even a draw would not have served any purpose.

Instead the Rangers faded out as they surely looked to lose the match and bring the curtain down on their Premier League presence after only one season.