Jonny’s late goal breaks Balzan’s hearts

Ħamrun Spartans extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points as they secured a hard-fought win against Balzan thanks to Jonny’s late strike at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.

The Brazilian substitute tapped in at the back post after Luke Montebello’s point-blank cross.

Balzan deserved a point for endeavour but never looked like scoring, concentrating more on sniffing out Ħamrun’s attacking power rather than posing a threat themselves up front.

Defending deep and in numbers, Oliver Spiteri’s side allowed Ħamrun plenty of possession up until 25 metres from their goal, at which point they nullified the Spartans’ threat and ensured a relatively quiet opening half for goalkeeper Jonathan Debono.

The best of Ħamrun’s early counterattacks saw Elvis Mashike run almost the entire length of the pitch on the left flank, but Duvan Torres showed great defensive intelligence to block the African striker.

Nikola Braunovic was alert after 11 minutes in blocking an Ederson Bruno shot on the line.

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