Highlights from the Premier League matches

There was plenty of excitement in the opening Championship Pool matches last weekend but the Premier League was overshadowed by the on-pitch collapse of Attard FC defender Michael Farrugia during his side's 2-1 win over Gzira United on Saturday.

The scenes witnessed at the Centenary Stadium as medical staff, players and officials desperately tried to revive the motionless Farrugia, recalled the death of Benfica striker Miklos Feher during a Portuguese League match in January.

Thank God, Farrugia, 29, is still alive, also thanks to the intervention of all those who assisted him. But such an incident delivered a bold reminder for the need of more qualified medical personnel and adequate equipment in each of our stadia.

Meanwhile, the game between Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk had all the ingredients of a pulsating match... goals, late drama and refereeing controversy.

Birkirkara maintained their pressure on leaders Sliema after a spectacular William Camenzuli goal from a corner helped them edge out Marsaxlokk 4-3.

Marsaxlokk must be aggrieved by the defeat not just because they suffered the killer blow in time added on. The match officials' decision to allow Birkirkara's second goal after David Carabott looked to have cleared Michael Galea's header in time was a bitter pill to swallow for the southerners who had managed to wipe out a two-goal deficit in the last five minutes.

Apart from the points, Birkirkara were also delighted by the contribution of former skipper Antoine Zahra in his first appearance in two years. Coming on as a second-half substitute, Zahra made an immediate impact on the game as his curling free-kick gave his side a 3-1 lead.

Also on Saturday, Sliema threw down the gauntlet to their rivals when coming from behind to beat Pietà Hotspurs 2-1. Keith Fenech had given the Hotspurs the lead but within 10 minutes of the start of the second half, the champions were back in a dominant position.

Stefan Giglio redressed the imbalance from the penalty spot and Danilo Doncic nodded home the winner.

Hibernians also fell behind to an early Nicolò Baldacchino goal in their clash with Floriana but an Ndubisi Chukunyere brace and another goal from Antoine Zahra landed them a 3-1 victory which keeps them in sight of the front-runners.

Valletta have no chance of contesting their traditional rivals for the league crown after their disappointing performance in the first two rounds but on Sunday they took a decisive step towards safety.

Two goals by Gilbert Agius and a Nenad Veselji header saw them sweeping past Balzan Youths 3-1 in their first Relegation Pool encounter.

Meanwhile, the decision to stage the Relegation Pool match between Hamrun and Msida at the Tedesco Stadium on Sunday has triggered a bold reaction from the Msida committee.

A statement said that the MFA's choice of venue has put their team at a disadvantage as their opponents will be playing on home pitch.

Msida have also urged their fans to attend a rally on Friday at the Melita Band Club, starting at 7 p.m.

Scorers

Balzan Youths - Zahra 7 (1 pen.), Evi Parker 7; Scerri 2 (2 pens.), Valenzia 2; Muscat, Arpa, Tellus, Gera - W. Attard (Hamrun) own goal.

Birkirkara - M. Galea 13; Calascione 8, Doda 8; Dronca 4 (2 pens.), Nwoko 4; Camenzuli 3 (1 pen.); Mallia 2; Monye, Bonnici, Zahra.

Floriana - Baldacchino 6, Do Nascimento 6 (2 pens.); Holland 5; Da Silva 4; Cilia 3, Mifsud Triganza 3; Mattocks 2, Gango-Rtsa 2; Bajada, Galea, Wellman.

Hamrun - Sultana 4 (2 pens.); Bajada 2, Brincat 2, Spiteri 2; Bencini (now with Sliema).

Hibernians - A. Mifsud 7; Paiber 6 (6 pens.); Chukunyere 5, Scerri 5; Cohen 4, Schembri 4; M. Mifsud, Zahra - S. Pace (Valletta, now Pietà) own goal.

Marsaxlokk - Barbara 14 (4 pens.); Bogdanovic 5; Slavtchev 3 (1 pen.), Licari 3, Buhagiar 3; Asechemie 2; Bartes, Formosa, Carabott.

Msida - Nwoke 8; Aganun 7 (4 pens.); Boni, Sciberras, Tabone, Tirchett, A. Farrugia.

Pietà - Woods 7 (2 pens.); Debono 5; Borg 3; Azzopardi 2, Omam 2, Frendo 2, Okoh 2; Fenech, Nisevic, G. Sciberras, Okonkwo.

Sliema - Doncic 13; Brincat 4, Mifsud 4; Giglio 3 (1 pen.), Turner 3 (1 pen.); Veselji 2 (now with Valletta), Anonam 2; Sylla, Mangion, Sammut, Bogdanovic (now with Marsaxlokk), Said, Grima (now with Valletta) - Magro (Marsaxlokk) own goal; Penchev (Valletta) own goal.

Valletta - Agius 10 (1 pen.); Theuma 4 (3 pens.); Sacco 3, Ivan Zammit 3 (2 pens.); Forace 2, Tonchev 2; Penchev, Ian Zammit, K. Zammit, Bondin, J. Pace (pen.), Veselji.

Next fixtures

Friday (National Stadium)
6 p.m. Floriana vs Sliema
8 p.m. Birkirkara vs Hibernians

Sunday (Tedesco Stadium)
1.45 p.m. Hamrun vs Msida
3.45 p.m. Marsaxlokk vs Pietà