HAMRUN SPARTANS-1, RABAT AJAX-1

Hamrun Spartans and Rabat Ajax took a point apiece after their first-round match ended 1-1 this evening.

A boring game looked destined to end goalless but the closing stages finally produced some drama with two goals in the space of five minutes.

Few scoring opportunities were created in a dull first half.

After 11 minutes, Hamrun goalkeeper Andrea Cassar beat away a dangerous cross by Heiner Backhaus. Rabat's German midfielder was unlucky not to open the scoring when his free-kick came off the upright. The ball flew towards Justin Felice whose header was cleared by Roderick Fenech.

Seven minutes from half-time, Hamrun created their first chance. Daniel Zerafa passed to Terence Vella who drove against the side-netting.

In the latter stages of the first half, Rabat's Adam Smeir shot high from the edge of the box.

The Spartans tried to raise their game at the start of the second half. On the hour, Roderick Fenech tried his luck with a long-range screamer that sailed over the bar.

Rabat replied with a Smeir grounder that flashed wide of a post.

Lithuanian striker Nerijus Astrauskas, who had just replaced Felice, missed an inviting chance to put Rabat ahead. Running on to a through-pass from Manuel Moral Fuster, Astrauskas advanced into the box but his effort was blocked by Cassar, the Hamrun goalkeeper.

Cassar then blocked Smeir's central free-kick and, at the other end, Rabat goalkeeper Jonathan Azzopardi pulled off a good save from Gianluca Calabretta's volley.

The game came to life in the final five minutes. Hamrun went ahead when Grima beat Azzopardi from the penalty spot after Dylan Falzon was adjudged to have fouled Vella in the box.

Vella threatened to double the Spartans' lead but his grounder flashed against the foot of the post.

Rabat hit back to equalise. Backhaus's shortly-taken free-kick released Smeir who hit a swerving shot past Cassar.

In stoppage time, Azzopardi denied Spartans the winner as he tipped away Grima's piledriver from the distance.

Rabat's Backhaus was named BOV player of the match.