TARXIEN               2

Aquilina 33

Paolucci 85

HAMRUN             1

Ganci 44 pen.

Tarxien handed Ħamrun Spartans their first defeat of the season in a hard-fought encounter at the Tedesco Stadium.

After some early unproductive foraging mainly coming from Hamrun, it was the Rainbows who rattled their opponents with a fine goal on the counter.

All the spadework produced by Tarxien’s Anderson de Barros, who twisted and turned just outside the goal area resulted in him assisting Gabriel Aquilina for the Rainbows’ first goal of the night.

The former Sliema midfielder’s ferocious drive took a deflection off Sebastian Nayar before the ball landed into the net.

Ħamrun levelled matters from the spot just before half time, when Massimo Ganci sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Ħamrun attempted to raise their game but a slice of over-urgency crept into their play.

This turned into desperation six minutes from time when Tarxien regained the lead through controversial Michele Paolucci goal. Substitute Ricardo Faria played in Paolucci who slotted the ball behind Hamrun goalkeeper Emmanuel Bartolo.

The goal was protested vehemently by Hamrun’s players who said that Faria had gained advantage on his marker Karl Micallef, by hauling him down from the shirt, an infringement which went unnoticed by the referee.

Anderson de Barros was voted the player of the match.

 

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore

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