The five Premier League matches at the weekend produced no less than 23 goals and Floriana were the only team failing to score, although Vittoriosa’s and Marsaxlokk’s goals against Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara respectively, came from own goals.

Hibernians and Sliema Wanderers made sure of their Premier League status for another season, by virtue of wins against Qormi and Vittoriosa Stars in the Relegation Pool.

The latter were left rooted at the bottom of the standings, with nothing to show at the end, despite again fighting gamely. Time is running out for the Stars and with eight points adrift of Qormi, and three matches remaining, only a miracle can save them from relegation.

Against Sliema Wanderers, down to ten men after 36 minutes, Vittoriosa struggled to make the best of their numerical superiority and even after taking the lead through a fortuitous own goal from Sliema’s defender Josef Mifsud in the second period, they collapsed to concede two Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza goals and could have even ended up bigger losers. Vittoriosa’s fighting spirit has been admirable to watch this season but they lack the quality to compete with the big guns.

Sliema’s win looked beyond them until Etienne Barbara was introduced as a substitute towards the hour, and he proved to be the catalyst of their revival. The absence of the injured Mark Scerri also had an adverse effect in Sliema’s midfield, with Bajada, and Failla after his dismissal, forced to work overtime. In the second period, coach Doncic somehow mitigated the risk by putting in veteran Noel Turner, who still instills more order in his side despite his ageing feet.

Qormi need only two more points to make salvation a mathematical assurance, and by the team’s standards, this is not beyond them.

In all fairness, Qormi should have put their mind at rest already but their game against Hibernians on Friday took a curious twist. Leading 3-1 with only seven minutes of normal time remaining, they were apparently on course for a rousing victory to ward off the threat of relegation but they buckled under Hibernians’ late rally that brought them three goals, two of them in five minutes of added time. Qormi were punished by two soft penalty awards but their total mental collapse in the late stages brought about their downfall.

Hibernians have left their best for last, winning all their three consecutive Relegation Pool matches , something unheard of in the League’s first phase.

In the Championship Pool, Valletta keep stretching their lead with every passing week. Their demolition of neighbours Floriana in the colourful derby on Sunday confirmed the Citizens’ strength in depth. Already without important players like Roderick Briffa and Jamie Pace, Valletta lost their skipper and mentor Gilbert Agius through injury on the hour. Six minutes later they were down to ten men when Denni Dos Santos was sent off.

Truly, they were already two goals up by then, but with the introduction of Kevin Sammut, Ian Zammit and Temile, Valletta remained superior and even scored a third to halt the Greens’ short revival.

With a disappointing Floriana side failing to keep the pace, let alone beat the leaders, Valletta are now nine points clear of second place Birkirkara. Although not unassailable, the gap is quite significant.

A highly revamped Birkirkara side, inspired by Ibrahimn Babatunde who played his best match so far, beat Marsaxlokk with a 4-1 margin that was equally surprising as it was emphatic. Not only because the champions had failed to beat the Southseasiders for almost three years in the league, and not only because they did that on Saturday without some key players, but the way the in-form Marsaxlokk were outplayed and outfought in almost every department by the Stripes makes it look more bizarre.

At kick-off, Marsaxlokk had been unbeaten in nine matches – four wins and five draws – and were a good bet for second place this season. Against Birkirkara, their defence looked susceptible to the unusual and their midfield unimaginative.

Their miserable afternoon was further tarnished by Julio Alcorse’s unsporting behaviour, throwing away the club’s shirt to the ground as he headed straight to the dressing room after being substituted in the second half. His dissent deserves punishment. Will we see more of the Argentine with Marsaxlokk this season?

Tarxien Rainbows also turned the corner, beating Hamrun Spartans by the same scoreline after previous three consecutive defeats in the Championship Pool. Their win was mostly courtesy of their Brazilians return to form after a dull patch. Incidentally, their most in-form player, Cristiano Rodriguez was only used as a substitute. But Bueno, Pacheco and Costa combined to telling effect to produce the goals, exploiting Hamrun’s jittery defence, which even without Roderick Fenech, dropped to the bench after his poor showing against Floriana the previous week, conceded four times. They again failed to put enough effort into marking and closing down the opposition. Tarxien also needed a big slice of luck. Bueno’s first goal most probably never crossed the line…but in the absence of technological evidence, we would never know for sure.

The woodwork saved them on another occasion when the Spartans should have scored more than once and although they dominated most of the second half, Tarxien result flatters them.

Hamrun now remain at the bottom of the Champiosnhip Pool, still searching for a win in this second phase

Best player

Ryan Fenech

(Valletta FC)

Ryan Fenech was back in the Valletta starting line-up against Floriana to fill the role of the suspended Jamie Pace in midfield.

He was his side’s creative force, often dictating the pace and starting his side’s build-ups. The outstanding Fenech was hungry when required and imperious when the mood took him. For long periods he sprayed down the pitch with an undeniable force, with his darting runs, dribbles and excellent delivery from one flank to the other as well as his exquisite free kicks.

At times, his marauding runs through the middle were hard to suppress as Valletta’s expensive midfielder revelled in the task of exposing the frailties of lamentable inferior opponents like Floriana.

Top scorers

14 goals T. Scerri (Valletta)

13 goals A. Effiong (Marsaxlokk)

11 goals G. Spiteri (Hamrun S.)

10 goals D. Rocha dos Santos (Valletta)

9 goals JP Mifsud Triganza (Sliema W.),

8 goals D. Nwoke (Floriana), E. Lattes (Birkirkara)

7 goals D. Mariano Bueno, S. Pacheco de Oliveira, C. Rodriguez (Tarxien R.), Paul McManus (Hibernians), M. Mifsud (Qormi)