Birkirkara defeated Hamrun Spartans 1:0 in the Premier League's second round of matches on Saturday. The result sees the hosts move clear of the bottom half while the visitors remain winless.
And here's the thing — Hamrun ran the show for large stretches but could not find the breakthrough. They dominated possession at 64 per cent and registered 64 attacks compared to Birkirkara's 36, yet both sides managed just three shots on target. The visitors had the edge in shots off target with seven to four, but the clean-sheet run came to an end only late on.
The decisive moment arrived in the eighty-eighth minute when Birkirkara finally broke the deadlock. By then the hosts had sat deep and soaked it up through much of the first half, waiting for their chance. Hamrun made several changes around the hour mark, bringing on Amarildo and N. Micallef in particular, but could not unlock the defence.
There was a late twist when Z. Muscat found the net for the visitors in the eighty-ninth minute, though the final score remained 1:0 to the hosts. The game had nothing to do all evening for Hamrun's front line until that point, and even then it was too little too late. Yellow cards went to M. Caua de Aguiar Alves and V. Polito, with Jefferson Vinicius also booked as the match wound down.
Birkirkara now sit fifth with six points from three games, having picked up their second victory. They lost their opening fixture 4:0 away at Gzira United before bouncing back with wins against Zaqqar Saint-Patrick and now Hamrun. The result ends a run of mixed form that included a 2:3 defeat to Sliema Wanderers.
Hamrun remain tenth with just one point from a draw and two losses. Their recent results show a 2:0 win over Valletta in May, but since then they have lost to Marsa Shlockk and NSI Runavik, with only a draw against the same Runavik side offering any comfort. The table goes out of the window in these games, but for now they are staring at the drop.