Resilient Spartans unnerve Birkirkara

Ħamrun Spartans 1
Shields 53;
Birkirkara 1
Kumbrevicius 79;

Ħamrun Spartans delivered further evidence of their upward intentions as they held Birkirkara to a draw.

Having sprung a surprise by taking a point off Valletta, the Spartans were aware that their showing against the champions would come under the microscope but they were clearly up for the challenge.

Sticking to their attacking philosophy, the Spartans poured forward whenever in possession but they also caught the eye with some stout defending. Massimo Grima and Dragan Milovic excelled at the back while goalkeeper Omar Borg and captain Rupert Mangion pulled off a series of vital blocks late on.

What of Birkirkara? The 3-1 victory over Tarxien suggested that they were approaching peak form at the best time but their performance yesterday was fragmented.

It was only after coach Paul Zammit brought on Terence Vella and Rodolfo Kumbrevicius that the champions, who missed a first-half penalty, raised their game.

Zammit had to make do without two first-choice midfielders as Shaun Bajada was suspended and Rowen Muscat was injured.

The onus of replacing Bajada and Muscat fell on Ryan Scicluna and Karl Pulo.

The Spartans’ first XI also featured two changes as Gaetan Spiteri came in for the suspended Peter Anizoba and Jovan Vukanic replaced the unfit Steve Bonnici.

In a balanced opening, Ħamrun thought they had opened the scoring after eight minutes when Dyson Falzon guided Dene Shields’s right-wing cross past Michael Fraser but the Spartans’ winger had strayed in an offside position.

At the other end, Michael Galea tested waters with a long-range drive that sailed over.

The tactical gameplan of the two teams was similar as both coaches encouraged their attacking players to roam and swap positions. The Spartans began the game in lively fashion. Nikolai Chipev arrowed a cross towards the steaming Falzon who lifted his shot over the bar.

Birkirkara also had a chance of their own when Pulo made headway in the box but his final strike was saved by Borg.

The game remained finely-poised but Birkirkara’s optimism rose on 25 minutes. In a swift breakaway, Pulo advanced before passing to Galea whose strike glanced off Jovan Vukanic.

Referee Paul Caruana ruled that the Serbian right-back had raised his hands to block Galea’s effort and awarded Birkirkara a penalty.

Babatunde stepped up to take the spot-kick but Borg, somewhat fortuitously, diverted the ball for a corner with his legs.

Expectations that the penalty episode would liven up proceedings failed to materialise as Birkirkara and Ħamrun toiled to create clear-cut chances.

Steve D’Amato indulged in some positional tinkering at half-time as Spiteri, who started the game in midfield, shifted to attack with Shields moving to the right wing.

The Spartans were the more adventurous side in the early stages of the second period. Falzon scuffed his shot high and Chipev’s grounder was beaten away by Fraser.

A goal was on the cards and it duly arrived on 54 minutes.

Borg’s long kick was retrieved by Spiteri who strode forward before slipping a through-ball to Shields who raced into the box and sent his shot through Fraser’s legs, much to the delight of the Spartans fans.

Ħamrun threatened to pull further clear of Birkirkara on the hour when Spiteri cut inside Patrick Borg and ran across the edge of the box. Falzon was one of two unmarked players on the other side but Spiteri’s tame pass was blocked by Andrei Agius.

Clearly unimpressed with his side’s showing, Zammit brought on Vella and Kumbrevicius for Pulo and Babatunde respectively. The Brazilian striker went close with a header that whistled just wide.

The new entrants increased Birkirkara’s attacking threat. Kumbrevicius headed against the post from Joseph Zerafa’s cross.

Zerafa’s runs on the left also aided Birkirkara’s attacking stance. The Malta wing-back swung in a cross-shot but Borg saved. The Spartans goalkeeper repelled another cross-cum-shot from Emiliano Lattes as Birkirkara attacked from all angles in search of an equaliser.

Their efforts bore fruit 11 minutes from time when Paul Fenech flicked Agius’s cross to Kumbrevicius who poked home at the far post.

All routes now seemed to lead to Ħamrun’s goal.

The champions would have scored six minutes from time but for Borg who produced a point-blank save to keep out Kumbrevicius’s header. The keeper also parried away Fenech’s grounder.

In stoppage time, Marcelo Pereira, a late substitute, burst clear through the middle but his shot was too weak to trouble Fraser.

Ħamrun Spartans
O. Borg-8.5, D. Milovic-7, M. Grima-7, R. Mangion-7.5, D. Shields-7, L.J. Agius-6, D. Falzon-5 (84 M. Pereira), G. Spiteri-5, J. Vukanic-6, N. Chipev-6.5 (81 R. Fenech), D. Camilleri-6.

Birkirkara
M. Fraser-6.5, R. Scicluna-6, J. Zerafa-7, P. Borg-5, K. Pulo-5 (63 T. Vella-7), A. Agius-6, P. Fenech-7, N. Vukanac-6, I. Babatunde-4 (63 R. Kumbrevicius-6.5), M. Galea-6.5, E. Lattes-7.

Referee: Paul Caruana.

Missed penalty: Babatunde (B) 27.

Yellow cards: Vukanic; Babatunde; Galea; Chipev.

BOV player of the match: Omar Borg (Ħamrun Spartans).