TARXIEN RAINBOWS 3, HAMRUN 3

Tarxien Rainbows and Hamrun Spartans served up a spectacle in this end-of-season fixture which included everything from brilliant individual goals to a dramatic finale and a mixture of good goalkeeping and poor defending, all this against the deserted backdrop of the National Stadium.

The tone was set from the outset as Noel Coleiro's men burst out of the blocks and no sooner had Roderick smothered Daniel Mario Bueno's low shot into a corner, the Spartans keeper Omar Borg was picking the ball out of the net.

From the ensuing shot, the Brazilian made a short burst away from the Spartans' defenders and met Gianluca Calabretta's corner at the near post, rising a few metres into the air and heading in from a tight angle.

Eager to put some distance between themselves and the bottom of the table, the Rainbows pressed for a second as Bueno and Sergio combined to create the second goal in the 27th minute. Bueno set off on a storming run down the left, crossing to Sergio who curled a shot beyond Borg.

On the hour mark, the Spartans could consider themselves unlucky not to have reduced the deficit but the Nigerian's low rasping shot was amazingly saved by Curmi.

It was not long, however, before the Spartans did get the goal their renewed ambition deserved when Rupert Mangion rose unmarked to head home Dyson Falzon's free-kick and within eight minutes they were looking good for unlikely point. In the 75th minute, the ball was deflected into the path of Anizoba by Spiteri and the midfielder was on hand to hammer in from the edge of the box and bring his side level.

Tarxien piled forward looking for a winner and they must have thought they found it when Ricardo finished a solo with a thunderous strike.

But Hamrun were not finished either and they grabbed the point their wholehearted second half display deserved when Falzon's corner was headed in by Spiteri, seven minutes from time.