Ħamrun Spartans 3

Lattes 5; Fenech 26; Favero 56

Balzan 2

Aboulezz 11; N’Dekre 88

Ħamrun Spartans lifted a heavy burden as their relegation fears yesterday eased significantly.

The final scoreline may suggest that the game was a tight affair but the reality was different as the Spartans outshone their opponents racing into a 3-1 lead but Balzan’s late rally set up a nervy finale for Ħamrun but they held on to claim the three points and pschological boost before next Friday’s crunch match against Rabat Ajax.

The Spartans had the better of the early exchanges and their pressure unsettled Balzan when Tumiatti’s men were found unwanting at the back inside the first five minutes as Ryan Spiteri made good progress on the left before guiding a cross-field cross towards Emiliano Lattes who twisted his body to slip behind the Balzan rearguard and flicked the ball past Daniel Martinez to give his side the lead.

Spartans’ unexpected opener jolted Balzan and they came close to an equaliser a minute later when Stefan Giglio headed wide after getting on the end of Aboulezz’s cross.

And six minutes later, Ħamrun surrendered their lead as Balzan levelled when Aboulezz connected to a teasing cross by Dylan Grima to deposit the ball into the net.

But a second spell of pressure by the Spartans culminated in a second goal on 26 minutes. It was Roderick Fenech who punished some hesitant defending by Balzan, heading home from Luke Grech’s corner.

Balzan’s sprightly approach at the start of the second half had Ħamrun on the ropes. In the 54th minute, Curmi denied the Spartans as he touched away Renato Conceicao’s free-kick, given for Massimo Grima’s charge on Dylan Grima.

Two minutes later, Ħamrun punished Balzan’s flat-out approach with a quick counter-attack as Spiteri charged his way past Jacob Borg, before intelligently released the unmarked Giacomo Favero. The latter simply tapped the ball home.  

Three minutes from time, Terence Vella should have put the game to bed when in a counter-attack, Favero freed the Malta striker who tried to chip the ball over Martinez but his effort crashed against the post.

But moments later, Balzan scored their second when latching on Martinez’s delivery, Elie Moises N’Dekre bore down on goal through the middle to unleash a rising shot in the corner.