The match of the week was played in front of one the biggest crowds at Corradino this season as Hibernians moved to the top spot of the Premier League standings after beating former leaders Żejtun Corinthians 6-1 in a direct clash.

Żejtun also lost their unbeaten run after six matches. Bulgarian Boycho Marev inspired Hibernians throughout the game, tearing the Żejtun rearguard apart with his swift attacks.

The Corinthians lost their usual composure and could only manage to operate on counter attacks which floundered when coming face-to-face with Hibs goalkeeper Christian Cassar.

In another match, Luxol St Andrews and Floriana shared the spoils in an entertaining 3-3 draw.

With the Saints now feeling the relegation pressure, and Floriana, who play rivals Valletta next, clearly not in their usual form due to a number of suspensions, Luxol’s effort saved them a precious point.

Valletta had Brazilian duo William Barbosa and Leandro Almeida in the team but they were still miles behind champions Balzan who beat the City team 10-2.

Balzan’s teamwork proved an asset as Glen Bonello was in the forefront of his team’s victory with Barbosa marking his outing with two goals.

Balzan, like Hibernians, are still unbeaten in the league. Thanks to their victory they moved to second place on 16 points, the same as Żejtun. Balzan, however, have a game in hand.

Meanwhile, Sliema chalked up their second win of the season, overcoming bottom-placed Ħamrun Spartans 9-6 in a thrilling match.

Sliema looked more focused under the guidance of new coach Valerio Causio and did well to beat the Spartans and move out of the drop zone.

Ħamrun, who had Massimo Grima in their line-up, fought back gallantly and until half-time the score was 4-4. However, it was Sliema who took the upperhand in the second half with Omar El Ghadi scoring four goals in his team’s victory.

Grima also left his mark in this match with four goals for relegation-troubled Ħamrun.

Standings
Hibernians (5-2-0) 17; Balzan (5-1-0) 16; Żejtun (5-1-1) 16; Lija (3-2-1) 11; Floriana (3-2-2) 11; Tarxien (2-1-3) 7; Sliema Wanderers (2-0-4) 6; Valletta (1-1-4) 4; St Andrew’s (0-2-5) 2; Ħamrun (0-0- 6) 0.

Fixtures
Today: 19:45 Tarxienvs Valletta; 21:15 Ħamrun vs Lija.
Friday: 20:00 Balzan vs Sliema Wanderers; 21:30 St Andrew’s vs Hibernians.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.