
Polito to the Rescue: Spartans Held in Season Opener
Ħamrun Spartans opened their 2025/26 league campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Tarxien Rainbows.
Despite dominating long spells of possession and controlling the tempo, the reigning champions were made to dig deep after a challenging start. Tarxien took a surprise lead just four minutes in when Francisco de Oliveira headed home following a swift cross from the right.
Facing a compact and resolute Tarxien side, Ħamrun struggled to break down the defensive block in the first half, although attempts from Mouad El Fanis, Redon Mihana, and Merlin Hadzi came close to levelling the score.
Head Coach Giacomo Modica opted to rest key players like Henry Bonello, Ryan Camenzuli, and Joseph Mbong due to recent European fixtures, rotating the squad while still expecting a positive result.
After the break, changes were made with Ante Ćorić and Shaisen Attard introduced to energize the attack. The Spartans kept pushing, and the breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute. From a set-piece delivered by Ćorić, new signing Vincenzo Polito pounced in the box to score the equaliser and rescue a point for Ħamrun.
The closing minutes saw Tarxien nearly reclaim the lead, but a powerful free kick by Claudio Barbosa was denied by the crossbar in dramatic fashion.
Final Score:
Tarxien Rainbows 1-1 Ħamrun Spartans
⚽ Junior (4′)
⚽ Polito (76′)
We return to training with lessons learned and eyes firmly set on our upcoming fixtures. A long season lies ahead — and we move forward together. ⚫️🔴
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