Mosta: C. Sciberras, C. Attard, M. Bartolo, I. Bilocca, P. Camilleri, I. Chibueze, D. Falzon (L. Cilia), U. Nwoko, D. Okonkwo (M. Borg), P. Sciriha, M. Spasic

Hamrun S.: J. Cordina, I. Zammit, J. Debattista, P. Ndah Ndubisi, S. Sadowski, J. Magri Overand (R. Mangion), K. Borg (E.Briffa), M. Okoro, R. Fenech, G. Spiteri, C. Nwankwo

Referee - A. Zammit, Ass referees - J. Camilleri, M. Debono, 4th official - C. Lautier

Scorers: I. Chibueze, M. Okoro (pen), C. Nwankwo

Yellow cards: U. Nwoko, E. Briffa, R. Mangion, I. Zammit

Player of the match: M. Okoro (Hamrun S.)

TMI Top 3: 1. R. Fenech; 2. M. Okoro; 3. U. Nwoko.

Hamrun Spartans staged a remarkable second half comeback to come from behind and win this match between the two newly promoted sides.

They have now overtaken the same Mosta in the standings, with six points from as many matches. The Spartans have also a game in hand.

The victory seemed beyond them by half-time when they trailed by a Chibueze goal and were looking rather short of ideas.

But a more determined approach after the re-start, saw them turn the tables, their victory paved by an early Okoro penalty and a second goal by their other Nigerian Nwankwo.

Mosta’s magic which saw them clinch an entertaining draw against Floriana, failed to spark yesterday. Their mental block after Hamrun’s equaliser must have been the effect of playing two matches within four days. Their best spell was in the last half hour of the first half, with better disciplinary posture and clearer ideas than their opponents. But after conceding Hamrun’s equaliser, they faded away.

Mosta made only one change from the side which drew against Floriana. Dyson Falzon started the match instead of the injured Jonathan Caruana.

There was an explosive start to the match with Hamrun clearly the first out of the blocks. Spiteri was the first to test Mosta’s keeper Sciberras with a volley and on seven minutes Okoro’s shot thumped against the post but Spiteri shot the rebound straight into Sciberras’ safe hands. Shortly after, Brincat advanced on the left but shot against the side netting.

But surprisingly, Mosta took the lead on 13 minutes when the Hamrun defence was caught on the hop on a long ball through the middle and as Nwoko played the dummy, Ikechukwu Chibueze ran on sweetly to slide the ball low past a helpless Cordina in goal.

That goal sapped away the wind out of the Spartans’ sails as Mosta started to find the pace and movement.

Nwoko’s rising shot on 20 minutes brushed the cross bar and Chibueze’s rising shot at the top corner narrowly missed the target.

Hamrun, although slow in their build-ups and at times erratic in their passing, enjoyed the best spell towards the late stages of the half.

The lively Fenech played an intelligent pass forward to Spiteri on the left flank but Nwankwo failed to conclude the low cross, shooting horrendously off target.

Hamrun put in Briffa and Mangion, the latter back after a long lay off, at the start of the second half. They were awarded a penalty within ten minutes as Mosta’s defender Spasic was judged to have handled Okoro’s close-range shot inside the area and the same Hamrun player converted from the spot to restore equilibrium.

Hamrun improved slightly after that. A spectacular Nwankwo overhead kick, after good work by Mangion, went wide and on 67 minutes, from a Fenech corner kick, Okoro’s firm header was tipped over the bar by keeper Sciberras.

On 72 minutes, Chidieric Nwankwo sent the Hamrun supporters into raptures when he galloped on the left, thrust through the middle and beat Sciberras with a low angled shot.

The Spartans had taken the bit firmly between their teeth by then as Mosta looked cagey and disjointed. Without any service, Chibueze and Nwoko suddenly became peripheral figures in their attack.

And Hamrun continued to look menacing when an Okoro free-kick took a wicked deflection off the Mosta wall, the ball ran loose to Nwonkwo who shot wide.

Mosta put in all their efforts in the late stages as a Bilocca free-kick caused havoc inside the Spartans’ area but with a mixture of good fortune and some plucky defending they somehow survived to clinch their second consecutive win which lifts them further up the standings, leaving struggling Valletta, Mosta and Floriana behind.