Mosta and Żabbar St Patrick secured vital victories over Hibernians and Gżira United respectively to steer clear of the relegation zone and, in the process, condemn Naxxar Lions to finish the Opening Phase second from bottom.

Both Mosta and Żabbar entered the final matchday of the Opening Round holding a one-point advantage over Naxxar, knowing that wins would guarantee safety. They duly delivered, while Naxxar’s late success ultimately proved inconsequential.

At the National Stadium, Mosta needed a pair of second-half goals to overcome Hibernians in a match that was largely devoid of clear chances before the break. With survival on the line, the Blues eventually found the breakthrough just before the hour and sealed the points deep into stoppage time.

Mosta handed debuts to former Hibernians midfielder Pedro Cacho and Cheikh Senghor, while Chukwuemeka Eke and Prince Emmanuel were named among the substitutes. Hibernians coach Branko Nišević was forced into changes, with Pedrão, Miullen and Alfred Silas Hamanjoda suspended, allowing Lucas Caruana and Cleiton to start.

The opening half was evenly contested, with neither goalkeeper seriously tested. Zachary Brincat had an early effort from distance saved by Laurentiu Brănescu, while Lucas Villela went close for Hibernians with a diagonal effort that drifted wide.

The Paolites squandered a golden chance early in the second half when Villela fired wide from close range after being picked out by Duane Bonnici. That miss proved costly as Mosta struck on 59 minutes when Pedro Cacho’s corner from the right was headed home by Jake Vassallo.

Hibernians tried to respond, with Cleiton forcing a save from Uriel Akpan and Kevin Halabaku firing wide, while Brănescu kept his side in contention with fine saves from Cheikh Senghor and Zachary Brincat.

In added time, however, Mosta sealed the win. Bjorn Kristensen brought down Prince Chibuzor Emmanuel inside the area and, from the resulting penalty, the Nigerian forward calmly converted to make it 2–0.

Meanwhile, Żabbar St Patrick made light work of Gżira United, scoring twice in the first half to secure the points and guarantee their safety. Mayron opened the scoring after just five minutes, giving the Saints an early platform. Gżira attempted to respond but their hopes were all but extinguished on the half-hour mark when Mario Fontanella doubled Żabbar’s advantage, effectively sealing the outcome.

At the Tony Bezzina Stadium, Naxxar Lions gave everything in their clash with Tarxien Rainbows, knowing only a win combined with favourable results elsewhere could keep them afloat. The Lions started strongly, with Vinicius narrowly missing the target early on.

Tarxien also had chances, most notably when Joamir Isidoro’s powerful header was superbly kept out by Matthias Debono. Naxxar responded with efforts from Christopher Fourmy and Edson Farias, both denied by goalkeeper Aleksander Bublik.

The Lions were handed a golden opportunity before the interval when Vinicius was fouled inside the area, but Joao Victor saw his penalty saved by Bublik.

Naxxar continued to push after the break, though chances became scarcer. Tarxien almost stole the lead late on through Wallisson and Ledezma, while Eder went close for Naxxar.

When it seemed the match would end level, Naxxar finally found a late winner as Neil Pace Cock’s effort from a free-kick was not properly cleared and Pereira was on hand to fire home.

However, the goal came too late to change their fate. With Mosta and Żabbar both celebrating victories, Naxxar Lions were left condemned to finish the Opening Round in the relegation zone.