Birkirkara 3 Floriana 0

Jhonnattann da Conceicao fired a brilliant hat-trick as Stripes underlined their title credentials with a clinical display.

Paul Zammit's side maintained their pristine opening to earn an important victory over Floriana.

Paul Zammit's side took the lead with their first real venture inside the Floriana half. From the right flank, Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza drove the ball to the unmarked Jhannattann. The Floriana defence was caught off guard as the Brazilian had time and space to curl the ball low into the bottom corner of the net.

At the start of the second period, Zammit introduced Camenzuli for Mifsud Triganza who had a quiet first half. But it was Floriana who went on the offensive from the outset of the second half. A free-kick by Verma after 48 minutes had the string removed from it by the Birkirkara defence. From the resultant corner, the Englishman floated the ball towards goal but Gauci produced a brilliant one-handed save to thwart Aaron Brown.

But Floriana's supremacy vanished into thin air in the 57th minute, when their defence was unlocked by a neat three-man move, Sciberras picked up the ball near the halfway line from Shodiya as he pinged the ball in the space into which Jhonnattann intelligently run, before slotting the ball behind the hapless Jurgen Borg, the Floriana goalkeeper.

Birkirkara continued to call the tune. Pouncing on a corner by Jhonnattann after 70 minutes, Vukanac hit the ball just wide. Sensing Floriana's physical and psychological weaknesses, Birkirakara seized control of the match and heaped more misery on the fading opponents and Jhannattann completed his hat-trick with a well-taken free-kick in the 74th minute when he unleashed a swerving shot around the wall and beyond the despairing dive of Borg.

Six minutes from time, the Brazilian turned provider as he sent Herrera through but the Birkirkara midfielder took straight into Borg's hands.