Valletta chalked up their first victory in the FMA Futsal League last week after they won their relegation clash with Ħamrun Spartans 8-4.

The Citizens produced a lively display with Brazilian William Barbosa, a regular for Valletta in the 11-a-side competitions, marking his debut with a hat-trick.

It was Ħamrun Spartans who opened strongly as they surged into a 3-1 half-time lead.

Valletta bounced back in the second period to overturn the deficit as they stormed into a four-goal lead to seal their first league win.

The winless Spartans side remained bottom of the standings with no points.

Żejtun opened a two-point gap at the top of the table after a comfortable victory over Luol St Andrews.

The Corinthians put in a strong collective effort to build a three-goal lead by half-time. They netted five more goals after the restart for an emphatic 8-0 victory.

Albanian Blendy Gockaj scored a hat-trick for the Corinthians who take on title rivals Hibernians at the Corradino Pavilion on Friday.

Last Friday, Floriana and Tarxien Rainbows shared six goals in an entertaining match.

The Greens looked on course to win the match after they forged 3-1 ahead but were denied by Tarxien’s late charge.

Excellent goals from Gustav Baldacchino and Giancarlo Sammut earned the Rainbows a precious point.

The other league match played last week was a direct clash between title hopefuls Hibs and Lija Athletic who fought out a 3-3 draw. With this result, Lija moved up to fourth on 11 points, one ahead of Floriana.

Lija enjoyed the upperhand throughout the game but Hibs, who had Tarik Ibrahim in top form, battled back to draw level and extend their unbeaten run to six matches.

Standings

Żejtun Corinthians 16; Hibernians 14; Balzan 13; Lija 11; Floriana 10; Tarxien 7; Valletta 4; Sliema 3; St Andrews 1; Ħamrun Spartans 0.

Next Fixtures (Corradino Pavilion)

Today: 21.15 Valletta vs Balzan.
Tomorrow: 21.15 Sliema vs Ħamrun Spartans.
Friday: 20.00 Floriana vs Luxol St Andrews; 21.30 Hibs vs Żejtun.