Tarxien 3 Hamrun 1

Daniel Mariano Bueno took just 82 seconds to decide the outcome of the match when he struck twice to help Tarxien consolidated their second spot.

The game had barely started when Bueno scored one of the quickest premier league goals after 23 seconds. The Rainbows attacked straight from the kick-off and the Brazilian, totally unmarked after bursting through from midfield, slotted home from Luke Vella Critien’s through pass

Bueno’s goal set the tone for the match as the Brazilian ran with far greater confidence than any of his markers from the first whistle and Omar Borg’s goal breached again 82 seconds later.

The modus operandi was always the same as Vella Critien found Bueno unmarked just outside the box before the striker drilled the ball low past Borg.

Buoyed by their two-goal salvo, Tarxien unwisely opted to sit back and absorb pressure from their shell-shocked opponents.

On the 52nd minute, Bonnici’s cross was headed by Grima into the path of Gaetan Spiteri but the nippy striker failed to connect to the ball. And they were rewarded six minutes later when Grima cleverly headed home from Bonnici’s cross.

What followed was a remarkable 30-minute spell, which saw Grima rattle the woodwork with a fine shot three minutes from time but the shot came back off the post and nobody could force the loose ball home as Hamrun continued to battle on but their efforts proved to be in vain.

But in injury time, substitute Ricardo Costa ghosted past the Hamrun defence and buried Pacheco’s teasing free-kick past Borg.