Ħamrun Spartans took a significant step towards successfully defending their Premier League title when they finished top of the Opening Round.
The Reds were always up against it after opening the final week of fixtures four points adrift of previous leaders Floriana.
However, Giacomo Modica’s men stepped up a gear when it mattered most, as on Wednesday the Spartans fended off Floriana’s ferocious challenge as goals from substitutes Jonny and Jovan Cadenovic handed them a crucial 2-0 win that cut the gap to just one point.
Here is a roundup of all the action from Matchday 15 & 16 by SportsDesk.
On the same day, Valletta stayed in the race for a top two finish when they overcame Birkirkara to stay just three points behind the same Spartans.
A Yuri Messias penalty and a Yannick Yankam goal handed all the points for Valletta.
Sliema’s hopes of a top-two finish came to an end when they could only manage a goalless draw against Marsaxlokk.
On the final day of the Top 6, Floriana had no other option but to beat neighbouring rivals Valletta to preserve top spot.
Things looked positive when Valletta had Diogo Tavares dismissed after 13 minutes.
However, despite their numerical advantage they could not find a breakthrough.
After the break, Floriana had Charles M’Mombwa shown a straight red card to restore numerical parity, and the match could have gone either way but the stalemate prevailed.
That opened the way for Ħamrun Spartans to snatch the top spot, which they duly did as a goal from new signing Damir Ceter earned them a vital 1-0 win, with goalkeeper Henry Bonello making crucial saves that secured the spoils for his team.
Marsaxlokk ended the Opening Round on a winning note as they beat Birkirkara 2-1, with Ensell Attard scoring an injury time winner.
In the Bottom 6, Naxxar Lions ended their campaign in the bottom places despite winning their final two fixtures against Żabbar St Patrick and Tarxien Rainbows respectively.
On Tuesday, the Lions raced past Żabbar SP 2-1 with goals from Christopher Fourmy and Vinicius Baiano.
Mario Fontanella pulled a goal back but it was not enough for the Saints to rescue the match.
Mosta failed to assure themselves of avoiding the bottom places when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Tarxien Rainbows while Hibernians stormed past Gżira United 4-1.
That set up an intriguing finale with Naxxar hoping that Mosta and Żabbar fail to win their matches to move them out of the relegation zone.
However, it was not to be for Naxxar, as Mosta scored a goal in each half to beat Hibernians 2-0. A goal from Jake Vassallo and a stoppage-time strike from Prince Emmanuel earned them a crucial win over the Paolites.
Żabbar St Patrick scored two first-half goal to see off Gżira United 2-0, with Mayron and Mario Fontanella on the scoresheet for the Saints.
That left Naxxar with an impossible task to move out of the drop zone, albeit they did win their final match against Tarxien 1-0, courtesy of a stoppage-time goal from Rosiel.
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