Tarxien Rainbows 1
Bueno 90;
Ħamrun Spartans 2
Ribeiro 8; Shields 33;

On a day when Ħamrun Spartans coach Stefan Sultana was presented with an old cup in recognition of his sterling service to the club, the current crop of players took the former Malta champions to the brink of Premier League survival after a deserved 2-1 victory over Tarxien Rainbows.

Both teams came into this game on a high after winning their last matches but it was the Spartans who kept the momentum going as a lively first-half display gave them a two-goal advantage which they preserved for most of the second period but the generally low-key Tarxien Rainbows scored a consolation in stoppage time.

More was expected of Tarxien after their solid display in the 2-0 win over Mosta but they were too casual, too erratic yesterday, especially at the back. Defeat has left Tarxien facing an uphill task to avoid the drop as they remain second from bottom on 15 points while the Spartans moved on the 20-point mark.

For Ħamrun, Matthew Gauci stepped into the boots of the suspended Steve Bonnici while veteran Rupert Mangion was sidelined with injury.

The only change in Tarxien’s formation from the 2-0 win over Mosta saw Orosco Anonam replace midfielder Mark Tanti who was absent from the Rainbows’ 18-man squad.

Before the match, Ħamrun Spartans official Gejtu Debattista presented a trophy to Sultana for his extraordinary service to the club. The old trophy, which used to be given to the team with the best disciplinary record in the now defunct district league, was named after Pawlu Debattisa, the late father of Gejtu Debattista.

Seven minutes into the game, Anderson Ribeiro headed wide from Gauci’s cross. The Brazilian hit the jackpot a minute later when he put the Spartans ahead with a clinical finish after latching on to a through-pass from David Camilleri.

Buoyed by the marked improvement in his team’s form, Sultana opted for an attack-minded approach with Kevin Sammut, Dene Shields and Gaetan Spiteri given licence to roam behind Ribeiro, the Spartans’ main forward.

Tarxien’s strategy was similar to that of their opponents as Patrick Curmi also field four mobile forwards with Bueno taking up the central striking role and Adrian Carabott, Ricardo Costa and Karl Pulo providing support from deep.

Scoring chances receded after the Spartans’ early opener but midway into the first half, Gauci did well to manoeuvre himself into a shooting position inside the box but his piledriver was high.

After Nicky Vella, the Tarxien goalkeeper, had fielded a Ħamrun cross from a corner, the Rainbows swiftly broke on the counter as Carabott made progress on the left before guiding a pass towards the middle where Bueno raced into the box but his grounder was warded off by Borg.

Tarxien were made to pay for this miss as, in their next raid, the Spartans doubled their lead.

Ribeiro swept past the stumbling Ryan Mintoff before cutting the ball back for Shields who poked the ball into the unguarded net.

The Rainbows were struggling to get to grips with the brisk movement of the Spartans’ forwards. Five minutes from half-time, Tarxien were awarded a free-kick in a central position but De Castro’s attempt was stopped by Borg.

Yet, the Rainbows were so unsteady at the back that they looked like cracking every time Ħamrun poured forward. This led coach Curmi to move Anonam to central defence as Manuel Caruana came on for Mintoff.

Five minutes into the second half, Borg did well to beat away Costa’s strong drive as the Rainbows tried to find a way back into the game. They should have narrowed the deficit when Pulo’s corner was met by De Castro but his header was pushed out by Borg. From the ensuing scramble, Anonam drove just wide.

Carabott then headed straight at Borg from Carlo Mamo’s cross as Tarxien stayed on the attack.

The Tarxien coach played his last cards as he brought on Jimmy Mayasi and Steve Sadowski for Everton and Pulo respectively.

Yet, it was the Spartans who threatened to add to their lead when a fine interchange between Sammut and Ribeiro saw the latter through but the Brazilian drifted into an angled position before scuffing his shot wide.

A minute from time, Borg left the field after suffering a blow to his face as he came out to punch away a cross. Andrea Cassar replaced Borg.

The fourth official signalled five minutes of added time and Tarxien got one back in the second minute.

Costa’s long-range screamer smacked against the far post but Bueno was on hand to poke the rebound home.

Tarxien Rainbows
N. Vella-5, C. Mamo-6.5, Everton-4 (75 J, Mayasi), A. Carabott-5, R. Costa-6, K. Pulo-5 (75 S. Sadwoski), D.M. Bueno-6, L.R. De Castro-6, O. Anonam-6, R. Mintoff-4 (46 M. Caruana-6.5), J. Grioli-5.

Ħamrun Spartans
O. Borg-7.5 (89 A. Cassar), G. Calabretta-6, M. Gauci-7, M. Grima-6.5, R. Hartvig-6, D. Camilleri-6, L.J. Agius-6 (81 D. Zerafa), G. Spiteri-6.5, K. Sammut-7, A. Ribeiro-7.5, D. Shields-6.

Referee: Fyodor Zammit.

Yellow cards: Camilleri; Spiteri; De Castro; Shields.

BOV player of the match: Anderson Ribeiro (Ħamrun).