Gzira write golden chapter in club’s history ... they win again and advance to first round

minutes later through a Zachary Scerri fine effort which was, however, dealt with confidently by goalie Ratti who turned to corner in style.

On the 21st minute, goalie Haber did well to punch away what could have been a dangerous header from Pi Sola.

In the 35th minute, Gzira went close to scoring. Briffa set Okoye beautifully in the Sant Julia area. The latter’s effort was palmed out by goalie Ratti and the ball cleared before Samb could conclude.

Early in the second half, Gzira threatened again through an Okoye shot which, however, was blocked to a corner by an Andorran defender.

At the other end, on the hour, it was Mendez del Rio who missed a good opportunity lifting the ball well over the bar from a favourable position.

The same Mendez del Rio made amends two minutes later, when he went past two defenders and beat goalie Haber with a low shot to give his side fresh hopes of a comeback.

But Gzira were back in command in the 65th minute when they were awarded a controversial penalty which brought about several protests from the Sant Julia players. Amadou Samb made no mistake from the spotkick.

In the 89th minute, Sant Julia finished in 10 men as Luis Blanco received a second yellow card for a bad foul on Cohen and was dismissed.

In added time, it was Edison Bilbao who gave Gzira their win as he beat goalie Ratti with a low shot.

Before the final whistle the Sant Julia goalie twice saved off Nikola Muscat and Jorginho to deny the Maroons more goals.