Ħamrun Spartans 2 Qormi 6
Spanish striker Moises Avila Perez scored a 22-minute hat-trick to pile more misery on ailing Ħamrun Spartans as they claimed their third consecutive win in the relegation pool by thumping their derby rivals 6-2.
The striker’s goals arrived before half-time and, by that point, it was clear this was the kind of mismatch already seen in the premier league this season when Ħamrun were involved.
Persistence on Spiteri’s part produced the opener for Ħamrun after 20 minutes as the nippy striker pounced on a short clearance by Roderick Sammut and his grounder went into the corner.
But the atmosphere on the Ħamrun stand soon muted as Qormi levelled matters two minutes later. Alfred Effiong stood out for the frequency with which he bewildered the Ħamrun rearguard.
The Brazilian looked menacing, making inroads through the defence. From the right flank, he served Edison Bilbao Zarate but the Argentine’s grounder was repelled by Curmi. The danger was not over Ħamrun as the rebound came to Moises Aaila Perez who side-footed the ball into the net.
And it was not long before Qormi went ahead as, on 25 minutes, Jonathan Bondin sent through the advancing Spanish striker, left in splendid isolation to poke the ball home.
Four minutes later, goalkeeper Curmi kept Ħamrun's heads above water with a fine save from Avila Perez drive.
However, with the defenders in front of him in a seemingly constant state of disarray, he could do nothing to stop Qormi their third goal giving them their lead two minutes before half-time.
Ħamrun conceded a penalty after Curmi tripped Effiong in the box and the Avila Perez made no mistake from the spot to complete his hat-trick.
And there was no reprieve for the confused Spartans after the break. Close to the 50th minute mark, Curmi repelled a strong Kris Thackray’s free-kick but the loose ball flew to Bondin who prodded it in from close-range.
Vella had the consolation of getting his name on the scoresheet as his shot from a tight angle stunned Steve Sultana. Vella’s goal failed to break Ħamrun’s momentum as Qormi scored his their fifth on the hour mark.
Fastening on to an accurate pass from Bondin, Effiong outpaced the Spartans defence before throwing the ball into the top corner.
Qormi’s onslaught continued a minute later when the Nigerian concluded a flowing move involving Grech and Avila Perez with a rasping shot behind the onrushing Curmi.
Unsurprisingly, Qormi eased up as the second half wore on as given the four-goal salvo, Zerafa opted to give home-grown hopes Shamison Zammit and Gillmore Azzopardi added experience in the premier league.