Ħamrun Spartans were crowned as Malta champions for the 11th time in their club history after they beat Birkirkara 1-0 in the final at the National Stadium.

Roko Prsa was the hero for the Spartans as the Croatian midfielder fired the ball home from close in after some fine work from Joseph Mbong to the delight of the thousands of Ħamrun Spartans fans.

It was a hard-fought victory for Winston Muscat’s side, who are coming from a very difficult campaign during which they lacked their usual consistency, but in the end their experience and know-how of key matches earned them the league title.

For Birkirkara it was a disappointing end to a very encouraging campaign. But they came up short when it mattered most. It was Ħamrun who created the better chances, even though the Stripes almost grabbed a late equaliser when Alex Satariano’s shot scraped the crossbar.

But at the final whistle, it was the Spartans who celebrated as they reconfirmed their status as Malta champions for the third successive year.

How it all happened…

That’s it for us as we bring to an end this four-hour blog but stay tuned to our platforms for more reaction to Ħamrun Spartans title success.ż

Thanks and good night.

Ħamrun Spartans recieve championship trophy

Ħamrun Spartans lift the Championship trophy. Photo: Domenic Aquilina

8.34pm Ħamrun Spartans captain Steve Borg and Henry Bonello lift the championship trophy to the delight of the Spartans’ fans.

8.22pm Henry Bonello one of the heroes in Ħamrun Spartans’ title success gives an emotional interview after leading the team to victory and dedicates win to his grandfather who passed away late last year.

Henry Bonello expresses his satisfaction after their title win. Video: Chris Sant Fournier

A title success that reflects the heart of the team

8.10pm Ħamrun Spartans’ success is quite remarkable giving the campaign they came through but in the end their resilience and determination have carried them through with their more experienced players like Henry Bonello, Steve Borg, Joseph Mbong and Roko Prsa proving decisive.

It’s all over

90 mins It’s all over Ħamrun Spartans are the Malta champions for a third successive year and 11th time in their club history.

The Spartans needed that fine strike from Roko Prsa to overcome the challenge of Birkirkara who in the end came up short.

90 mins Satariano hits the bar from a Neil Micalleff free-kick.

FIVE MINUTES OF STOPPAGE TIME

Late changes

86 mins Birkirkara bring in striker Brian Esalo for Neil Micallef while Cesar Menacho comes on for Rihan Mihala.

Silva scores but is chalked off

81 mins Raphael Lopes Silva drills the ball past Gianluca Volpe but referee Ishmael Barbara annuls the goal for a foul by the Brazilian.

Birkirkara stepping up pressure

79 mins Birkirkara have stepped up a gear in search of an equaliser with Alex Satariano moved into a more attacking position.

Letherby replaces Freitas

69 mins Ħamrun Spartans effect their second change as Daniel Letherby replaces Elionay Freitas who was excellent in midfield for Ħamrun.

GOALLLL ĦAMRUN AHEAD

63 mins Roko Prsa puts Ħamrun Spartans ahead. From corner action, Mbong races inside the area and picks Prsa who slots home from close in.

Talison off

63 mins Ħamrun effect their first change as Talison is replaced by his Brazilian compatriot Eder.

Prsa chance

60 mins Prsa misses another good chance when Mihana picks him inside the area but fires over when under pressure by Papazov.

Joseph Mbong booked

51 mins Joseph Mbong becomes the first player to be cautioned for a foul on Alex Satariano.

First chance for Ħamrun

49 mins Ryan Camenzuli does well to exchange the ball with Raphael Lopes Silva but his effort finishes over.

Teams returning to the pitch

The second half is set to resume as both teams return after their half-time team-talk and it’s Birkirkara who will get us underway.

HALF TIME

Referee Ishmael Barbara blows the whistle for half-time in what was a disappointing first half. Hopefully, both teams pick up more momentum and we see more scoring chances and goals. We now take a short break, and we will be back for the second half in 15 minutes’ time

Prsa threatens from a free-kick

45 mins Roko Prsa wins a free-kick and his effort is deviated just over.

Reid off injured

Birkirkara are forced to make their first change as Kemar Reid fails to recover from a knock on his ankle and is replaced by Shaun Dimech.

Two opportunities for Ħamrun

40 mins The Spartans hit back and first Talison forces his way inside the area and is denied by Gianluca Volpe and then Roko Prsa is found in space inside the area but fires well wide from a few metres out.

BIG CHANCE FOR BIRKIRKARA

Ħamrun fail to clear a free-kick and Maxuell Maia’s effort is cleared off the line by Bjelicic before the ball is sent to a corner.

29 mins Bjelicic connects to Prsa’s corner delivery but his header is deflected over.

Kemar Reid receving treatment.

Birkirkara are temporarily in ten as Kemar Reid is receiving treatment after picking up a knock on his ankle.

19 mins Rehan Mihana races past Neill Micallef and his cross is cleared to a corner. But again nothing comes out of it as Lopes Silva fails to direct the ball towards goal.

Spartans win their first corner

15 mins Elionay Freitas manages to win his team’s first corner as the Spartans finally are on the offensive but the set-piece comes to nothing as the referee ordered a foul.

Ħamrun look apprehensive

12 mins It’s all Birkirkara in the opening stages of the match as Ħamrun are struggling to come out of their half.

7 mins Alex Satariano pushes his way inside the area but his cross found no takers with the ball drifting out of play.

Battle for supremacy

4 mins In these early exchanges, both teams are looking to take control of the midfield, and it’s inevitable to see a lot of tough challenges from either side.

Match kicks off

6.05pm We’re off!

Kick off coming up

6.03pm We are moments away from kick-off and it will be Ħamrun Spartans who will get us under way.

National Anthem being played

The national anthem is being played after Prime Minister Robert Abela, opposition leader Bernard Grech, Joseph Muscat, the Premier League chairman, Alan Abela, chairman of Malta Premier Ltd, and Bjorn Vassallo, the MFA president, shook hands with both sets of players.

Teams ready in the tunnel

5.53pm Both teams are ready in the tunnel, ready to make way on the pitch, and both teams’ supporters are ready to display their choreography.

The referee of the match is Ishmael Barbara.

Winston Muscat’s impact at Ħamrun Spartans

5.50pm Winston Muscat replaced Ħamrun Spartans coach Alessandro Zinnari last February and despite a slow start, he managed to steady the ship at the Malta champions.

Since taking over, the Spartans have won four matches, drawn two, and lost just one match. That setback came on his debut match against Sliema Wanderers where it was played just three days after being named as coach and had little time to work with the team.

Ħamrun Spartans defender Ognjen Bjelicic warming up ahead of the final. Photo: Domenic Aquilina

In seven matches, Ħamrun Spartans conceded just two goals, both against Sliema Wanderers, a clear sign that the defence became much tighter particularly following the return from injury of Ognjen Bjelicic as well as the contributions of Emerson Marcelina, Steve Borg and Sven Xerri.

Strong defensive record for Birkirkara

5.40pm Defensively, Birkirkara kept clean sheets in 48% of their matches. Notably, they struggled against Ħamrun Spartans, conceding five goals across four encounters.

Maxuell Maia has been instrumental in their attacking success, topping the league’s scoring charts with 23 goals.

His impact is clear: Birkirkara won 10 of the matches in which he found the net and lost only once.

Interestingly, he failed to score in any of the games against Ħamrun Spartans.

Impressive campaign for Birkirkara

5.35pm Birkirkara FC has been one of the standout teams in the inaugural edition of the 360 Sports Malta Premier League.

The Stripes finished first in both the initial phases of the Opening and Closing Rounds, highlighting their consistency across the regular season. However, their form dipped slightly in the latter stages.

Birkirkara defender Alessandro Coppola warming up for Saturday’s final. Photo: Domenic Aquilina

They placed second in the second phase of the Opening Round and fourth in the Top Six phase of the Closing Round. Despite this rough patch – particularly during the Top Six campaign where they managed just one win (a 1-0 victory over sixth-placed Mosta) and suffered two defeats – the league format allowed Birkirkara a chance to recover and remain competitive.

No changes for Birkirkara

5.25pm Stefano De Angelis, the Birkirkara coach, kept faith with the same players that started the semi-final victory over Birkirkara. Winger Manuel Morello failed to recover from injury and will miss Saturday’s final.

Three changes for Ħamrun Spartans

5.17pm Ħamrun Spartans coach Winston Muscat made three changes from the team that Floriana in midweek as Brazilian defender Emerson Marcelina replaces Steve Borg in defence as the latter is still not 100 per cent fit.

Talison Barbosa was given the nod to start on the flank at the expense of Sven Xerri while Elionay Freitas replaced his fellow Brazilian compatriot Eder.

Teams enter pitch for warm-up

5.12pm Both Ħamrun Spartans and Birkirkara enter the pitch to start their warm-up. We are going to give you line-up information of both sides shortly.

Joseph Portelli’s message to Ħamrun Spartans fans

5.05pm In the run-up to the match, Ħamrun Spartans president Joseph Portelli sent a message on the club’s page to encourage their fans to support the team during the final and roar them to victory.

Big crowd expected

The Ħamrun Spartans arriving at the Millennium Stand to take their seats for Saturday’s final. Photo: Gianluca Lia

4.55pm Both sets of fans have already started to arrive at the National Stadium as a bumper crowd is expected to attend today’s match.

According to the organisers, a crowd of around 12,000 fans is set to watch today’s final.

The Birkirkara fans have been seated at the Enclosure Stand while the Ħamrun Spartans fans will be positioned at the Millennium Stand.

The Birkirkara fans making their way to the stadium from the Enclosure end. Photo: Domenic Aquilina

Road to final

4.40pm Both teams had a battling route to Saturday’s final.

Birkirkara needed a last-gasp goal from Maxuell Maia to overcome the challenge of Sliema Wanderers 1-0 in the opening semi-final that was played on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Ħamrun Spartans had goalkeeper Henry Bonello to thank after the Malta international saved two penalties in the shoot-out to overcome Floriana 4-2 on penalties after the game had remained goalless after regular time and extra-time.

Welcome!

4.30pm Good afternoon to all… the stage is set for one of the most exciting weekends of the 360 Sports Malta Premier as Birkirkara and defending champions Ħamrun Spartans will go head to head for the title crown.

Birkirkara are eyeing their fifth championship in the club’s history, while the Spartans are bidding to retain the crown of Malta champions for a third successive season and the 11th in their club’s history.