Hard-fought battle... Nadur’s Joseph Vella tries to hold off the challenge of Xewkija’s Daniel Bogdanovic (right) as Josmar Vella (no.4) looks on. Photo: Joseph Mercieca

This was a very particular weekend for Gozitan football with events on and off the field stealing the limelight.

The day after the eagerly-awaited Division One clash between leaders Nadur Youngsters and title rivals Xewkija Tigers, two men were arraigned in court and received suspended jail terms after admitting to attempting to bribe two Xewkija players.

On Saturday afternoon, in front of a sizeable crowd at the Gozo Stadium, a Chris Camilleri penalty decided the issue as Xewkija handed Nadur their first defeat of the season.

The two teams are now sharing top spot on 34 points in what has become a two-horse race for the championship.

Nadur were first to settle, taking a firm grip on proceedings in midfield as Xewkija opted to deploy Daniel Bogdanovic in front of their defensive line.

However, the Youngsters failed to capitalise on their good start and, on seven minutes, Xewkija had a ‘goal’ by Bogdanovic disallowed for offside.

Nadur Youngsters could have gone ahead on the half-hour mark but Joseph Vella hit wide from close distance.

Then came the game’s defining moment as, on 34 minutes, the referee awarded the Tigers a penalty for a foul by Nadur defender Frankie Camilleri on John Camilleri.

The Nadur player was sent off and Chris Camilleri made no mistake from the spot.

Nadur were stunned but they almost levelled the scores just before half-time only for a header by Milos Stojanovic to be cleared off the line by Bogdanovic.

Despite playing with a man less, Nadur still ventured forward in search of an equaliser and went close on more than one occasion through attempts by Claudio Antunes, Vella and Stojanovic.

Xewkija opted for caution. They operated mainly with quick counter-breaks but never yielded an inch at the back.

Mark Grima was on the right spot to keep out an effort from Dene Shields and a shot by Joseph Cefai was also dealt with by the Nadur goalkeeper.­

In the end, Nadur were unable to break down their opponents’ defence as the Tigers held on to their slim lead for three precious points after winning a battle of wits with the Youngsters.

In the other match from the top flight last weekend, St Lawrence Spurs did well to beat the more-quoted Kerċem Ajax 3-2 to move to a safe mid-table position.

Kerċem went in for the break leading 1-0 following a goal by Anderson Ribeiro on 42 minutes. However, St Lawrence took command of play on the changeover and turned the result in their favour thanks to a William Barbosa hat-trick.

Kerċem doubled their efforts in the final stages but only managed to pull one back through Sabri Rais, a late substitute.

Division Two

The three games that wrapped up the third round of the championship last week did not produce any changes in the table but Għajnsielem consolidated their status as favourites for promotion.

Għajnsielem recovered from the upset in their previous match to beat Żebbuġ Rovers 2-0, thanks to a goal scored in each half by Charlon Tabone and Jason Portelli.

The Blacks now enjoy a six-point lead over second-placed Munxar Falcons who were surprised by bottom side Qala Saints.

The Maroons, in fact, registered a 1-0 win with the goal that mattered coming from Josef Galea 10 minutes from half-time.

In another match, Xagħra United confirmed their good moment of form following a 1-0 win over Għarb Rangers.

The goal that gave Xagħra the three points came from a Daniel Bartolo penalty during first-half stoppage time.