Qormi 2 Birkirkara 0
Jorginho Pereira da Silva stole the show with a vintage performance as he scored a fantastic second-half brace with Qormi sweeping aside Birkirkara.
The Brazilian first broke the deadlock, turning in a beautifully-struck volley and then stretched the lead with acrafty lobbed finish.
This emphatic win moved Stephen Azzopardi’s men back into third place and restored their tag as the premier league’s surprise package.
With Balzan breathing down their neck, Qormi secured three precious points in their hunt for a championship pool berth.
Birkirkara’s defenders should have been fully aware of the threat posed by Jorginho who already scored six goals this season but they left him unmarked after 57 minutes, when he took a pass by Bello-Osagie, hitting a diagonal shot into the far corner of the goal.
But much worse was to follow for Birkirkara. Jonathan Bondin, who the Stripes allowed to saunter towards their goal from his own half, swung in a perfect ball for the Brazilian who extinguished any slim hopes of a Birkirkara comeback with an exquisite lob in the 70th minute.
Substitute Leighton Grech’s sending off further compounded a miserable night for Birkirkara before Sultana denied Paul Fenech a late consolation goal when he tipped his effort over the bar.