Birkirkara broke little sweat to see off bottom-placed St Andrew’s 3-1 at the National Stadium.

Birkirkara  swamped the St Andrew’s half in the opening stages in their quest to find an early goal that would settle their nerves.

On 15 minutes, Zarate powered into the area before teeing up Vito Plut who was denied by a fine reflex save by Jake Galea.

However, the St Andrew’s goalkeeper was helpless two minutes as Ryan Camenzuli’s measured low pass found Goran Mujalovic who beat Galea with a firm drive.

Eight minutes later, Camenzuli again found Mujalovic who chested the ball into the path of Edmund Agius who fired wide.

St Andrew’s finally threatened 27 minutes when Nwoko dispossessed Christian Bubalovic but his rising shot was blocked in two attempts by Miroslav Kopric, the Birkirkara goalkeeper.

Instead it was St Andrew’s who equalised  on the stroke of half-time when Enmy Pena Beltre was upended in the area by Joseph Zerafa and referee Stefan Pace immediately pointed to the spot.

Joseph Farrugia stepped up for the kick and duly despatched his shot past Kopric.

Birkirkara regained their lead on 58 minutes when Vito Plut connected to Zarate’s delivery from a corner and his first headed attempt was kept out by Galea but the Slovenian nodded in the rebound to the relief of the Stripes clan.

The Stripes wrapped up the points in stoppage time when substitute Matthew Guillaumier put Temile clear and the Nigerian striker slid the ball past Galea.

Birkirkara’s Ryan Camenzuli was voted as the BOV Player of the match