Naxxar Lions bounced back from their defeat to Żabbar St. Patrick last week by securing a narrow but vital 1-0 victory over Hibernians, collecting three crucial points in the process.
The win lifts Naxxar two points clear of Balzan and three ahead of Melita, although both those sides have a game in hand as they are set to face each other on Sunday.
Despite Hibernians creating several scoring opportunities throughout the match, Naxxar defended resolutely to keep them at bay.
Branko Nisevic made three changes to the Hibernians side that beat Melita, reinstating Hugo Sacco in goal while replacing Lucas Villela and Federico Falcone with Jurgen Degabriele and Miullen Carvalho. For Naxxar, Ryan Gilmour Cassar and Takuma Yamaguchi started the match, while Bacary Sane and Edson Farias were named among the substitutes.
Naxxar had the first real threat when Yamaguchi tried his luck from the edge of the area after being set up by Maicon, but his effort was comfortably saved by Sacco. In the 12th minute, Hibernians’ Helder Correia nearly turned the ball into his own net in an attempt to intercept Khevin Fraga, with his shot from distance drifting just wide.
Five minutes later, Naxxar goalkeeper Matthias Debono left his line to halt a surging run by Carvalho. Apostolos Martinis collected the loose ball and attempted a lob that looked destined to score, but Fernando Barbosa made a crucial goal-line clearance.
Dexter Xuereb then fired narrowly wide after combining well with Martinis and Kristensen, while Maicon tested Sacco with a dangerous cross-shot in the 27th minute.
Naxxar found the breakthrough seven minutes later when Martinis handled the ball following a cross by Maicon. Referee Trustin Farrugia Cann pointed to the spot, and Ryan Gilmour Cassar calmly converted the penalty to give Naxxar the lead.
In first-half stoppage time, Jurgen Degabriele pounced on a short clearance but sent his shot high from inside the box.
Hibernians came out pressing after the break, with Pedro Henrique heading just wide from a Xuereb corner in the 49th minute. Fraga then saw a powerful free kick from just outside the area parried by Debono.
Another promising move between Xuereb and Carvalho resulted in Degabriele shooting wide again, and moments later, Degabriele was unfortunate to see a well-struck effort from the edge of the box miss the target by inches.
Naxxar nearly doubled their lead on 71 minutes through a swift counterattack, as Edward Bolanos surged down the left and unleashed a diagonal shot that narrowly missed the far post.
Debono again came to Naxxar’s rescue, tipping over a Degabriele strike, before Henrique headed over from the ensuing corner. At the other end, Nikolai Micallef sent Hugo Santos through on goal, but Santos fired over with only the keeper to beat.
In the closing stages, Maicon tried his luck from long range, but Sacco collected the shot without much difficulty, as Naxxar held on to claim a valuable win.