Birkirkara 1 (5) – 1 (3) Victoria Hotspurs

Birkirkara booked their place in the Last 16 of the Jubilee Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Victoria Hotspurs. The match ended 1–1 after 90 minutes, with the Stripes only managing to equalise eight minutes from time despite dominating the game. Goalkeeper Matthew Grech proved to be the hero in the shootout, producing a decisive save to send his side through.

The first clear opportunity arrived on six minutes when captain Kemar Reid fired tamely into the hands of Steve Sultana. Birkirkara pushed forward but were punished on 28 minutes when Kurt Borg struck from the edge of the box — his effort took a deflection off Marjanovic, leaving Grech wrong-footed and giving the Gozitans a surprise lead.

Birkirkara wasted several chances before the break: Reid missed a golden opportunity in the 43rd minute and Macula sent a point-blank effort over the bar just before half-time.

Coach Gianluca Festa made a triple substitution at the start of the second half, introducing Makoma, Kaiden Fenech and debutant Abubakar, in search of more attacking momentum. The Stripes created chance after chance, but their finishing let them down.

Their persistence finally paid off in the 82nd minute when Macula rose highest to meet Fenech’s cross, heading into the corner to make it 1–1. Despite late pressure, Birkirkara couldn’t find the winner, and the match went to penalties.

🥅 Penalty shootout:

• Macula ✅ | Mercieca ✅
• Reid ✅ | Attard ❌ (saved by Grech)
• Fenech ✅ | Mbong ✅
• Cordova ✅ | Muscat ❌ (saved by Grech)

Final score: Birkirkara 5–3 Victoria Hotspurs (pens)

With this victory, Birkirkara advance to the Jubilee Cup Round of 16, while Matthew Grech’s heroics in goal sealed the win on a night where the Stripes had to fight hard to avoid a major upset.