Ħamrun Spartans 2
Grima 65; Camilleri 84
Melita 2
L. Micallef 75; Galea 86
This was a stalemate that offered little respite for Ħamrun Spartans and Melita as both teams came into the match badly in need of a win to boost their position in the standings following Rabat Ajax’s win over Balzan earlier yesterday.
But at the end, neither Ħamrun nor Melita were able to savour a winning return.
The current form of both teams had a negative effect on the contest as for long stretches the match was mediocre and desperately bereft of scoring chances and it was only in the final stages that the game burst to life with both teams sharing four goals in the last 25 minutes.
Ħamrun Spartans made two changes from the Qormi defeat as Terence Vella and Luke Grech earned a first-team recall as Stefan Sultana welcomed back in the fray Terence Scerri who earned a place on the bench after recovering from a cruciate operation.
Nigel Rizzo replaced Michael Martin in Melita’s only change to their starting line-up.
Melita were the fastest out of the blocks when Jean Pierre Attard hit the bar with a rasping drive from the distance after seven minutes.
Scoring opportunities were scarce in a quiet opening. The Spartans produced their first notable chance on 26 minutes when Massimo Grima almost conjured up the lead with a curling free-kick that hit the post.
Six minutes later, Anthony Curmi, the Ħamrun goalkeeper, did well to tip around the bar a point-blank header by Daniel Ayllon-Cabanillas, well served by Rizzo.
The first half drew to a stuttering close but on the cusp of half-time, Ħamrun went close to breaking the stalemate. Emiliano Lattes’s grounder finished just wide off the far post.
Melita responded soon after the break. This time, Rizzo’s shot was blocked in two attempts by goalkeeper Curmi.
The match fell into a lull but the Amateurs almost grabbed an opener on the hour mark, when Cabanillas made inroads on the left before firing a vicious strike that was pushed away by Curmi.
But much against the run of play, the Spartans opened the score five minutes later.
Grech’s delivery from corner soared into the box and Grima timed his jump to perfection to head past Philip Schranz.
Ħamrun almost increased their lead but Lattes’s grounder, following a solo run, was cleared off the line by Luke Bianco.
Melita looked shell-shocked but they refused to give up.
The scoreboard showed 73 minutes when Ivan Tufegdzic zipped open the Spartans defence with a delicate ball for Cabanillas who timed well his run to pull Curmi off the line but Grech reading the Spaniard’s intentions, came to his team’s rescue when he cleared off the line.
Yet two minutes later, Julian Galea unleashed a swerving free-kick that sailed across the Spartans box, finding substitute Luke Micallef at the far post, to head behind Curmi.
The game ended with a flourish as the two pushed for the winner. Six minutes from time, substitute David Camilleri pounced on a short clereance by the Melita rearguard to place a precise finish high into the top corner.
But Melita were not to be denied.
Manuel Sierra Camacho suprised his opponents as he cut the ball back to Galea from a free-kick and the Melita forward beat Curmi with a low shot to the delight of the Amateur fans.
Ħamrun Spartans: A. Curmi-5, G. Azzopardi-5, D. Zerafa-5, B. Guga-5, M. Grima-6.5, L. Grech-7.5, G. Favero-5 (68 D. Camilleri-5), R. Fenech-5, T. Vella-4.5 (88 T.Scerri), E. Lattes-6, R. Spiteri-5 (77 A. Micallef).
Melita: P. Schranz-5, M. Borg-5, L. Bianco-7, I. Tufegdzic-6.5, R. Alhinho-5, M.R. Sierra Camacho-6, N. Rizzo-7 (74 K. Vella Petroni), J.P. Attard-5.5, A. Borg Olivier-5 (61 L. Micallef-5), J. Galea-6.5, D. Cabanillas-6.5.
Referee: Kevin Azzopardi.
Yellow cards: Guga, Attard, Zerafa, Rizzo, Alhinho, G. Azzopardi, Camilleri, L. Micallef.
BOV Player of the match: Nigel Rizzo (Melita).