Hibernians and Birkirkara played out a gripping 1-1 draw in a pivotal encounter in the Assikura Women’s League.
The result keeps Hibernians at the top of the table with 27 points, but the title race remains wide open as Swieqi United reduced the gap to just two points following a dominant win over Lija Athletic.
Meanwhile, Mġarr United’s hard-fought win over San Ġwann saw them climb to third, with Birkirkara slipping to fourth.
In Friday’s big meeting, Hibernians took the lead through Alexis Espitia – her 10th goal of the campaign.
Birkirkara levelled terms through Gabriella Zahra as the Stripes breathe a sigh of relief following their two defeats against Swieqi, including in last Sunday’s Super Cup.
The result sets up a tantalizing scenario for next Tuesday when Birkirkara take on Mġarr in a crucial match that could further shape the standings.
Both teams, alongside Swieqi, hold a game in hand over Hibernians, making the upcoming fixtures even more significant.
The Owls, on their part, face San Ġwann on Tuesday, hoping to pip Hibernians to first place.
They delivered another commanding performance, beating Lija 8-0. Salamatu Abdulai scored a hat-trick with Sarah Urpani, Rafanny, Ema Micallef, Karima Abdulai and Shona Zammit scoring the other goals.
Mġarr also secured a vital three points, edging San Ġwann 2-1 in a close-affair tie.
Hailey Russell’s goal for San Ġwann was not enough to prevent defeat but has helped her cement top spot in the league’s scoring charts with an impressvive 16-goal tally.
Valeria Villegas and captain Brenda Borg scored the goals for the Greens.
Elsewhere, Valletta defeated Mtarfa 4-0 to move to 11 points while Mtarfa remain at the bottom without points.
HIBERNIANS 1-1 BIRKIRKARA
Alexis Espitia 58 (H); Gabriella Zahra 79 (B).
HIBERNIANS
E. Harrington; N. Geren, C. Ellul (78 Y. Attard), A. Galea, J. Dimech, K. Chetcuti, M. Borg (A. Busuttil), N. Sciberras, I. Farrugia (S. Vella Barberi), A. Espitia (L. Ayres), Joelma.
BIRKIRKARA
M. Cachia; G. Zahra, L. Azzopardi, Y. Hazekawa, L. Cabral, A. Cassar, R. Giusti (73 A. Vassallo), V. Rapa, C. Schechinger, M. Cardona, E. Bispo.
Referee: Igor Kankaras
SWIEQI UNITED 8-0 LIJA ATHLETIC
Salamatu Abdulai 2, 58, 90; Sarah Urpani 4; Rafanny 38; Ema Micallef 40; Karima Abdulai 42; Shona Zammit 85.
SWIEQI UNITED
C. Borg; E. Micallef (46 S. Mallia), S. Urpani (75 L. Frendo), E. Xuereb (65 I. Abela), S. Abdulai, K. Abdulai, S. Zammit, Rafanny, J. Schembri (65 T. Scicluna), T. Falzon (46 N. Lebakos).
LIJA ATHLETIC
C. Pisani; S. Caruana, M .Stagno, K. Abela (72 E. Galea), V. Carneiro, E. Lake, N. Zarb Cousin, K. Pantalleresco, L. Micallef, Y. Azzopardi. H. Ali.
Referee: Paula Buttigieg
MĠARR UNITED 2-1 SAN ĠWANN
Valeria Villegas 45+2, Brenda Borg 52 (M); Hailey Russell 83 (S).
MĠARR UNITED
P. Ebejer; A. Camilleri, M. Debono, Y. Carella (17 E. Xuereb), L. Cefai, V. Villegas, Y. Mendez (90 K. Sciberras), R. Bajada, A. Villegas, B. Borg, A. Grech.
SAN ĠWANN
J. Caruana; A. Rapa (82 M. Schembri), N. Kobayashi, H. Russell, T. Chaimaa (74 N. Attard), O. Mhalli, S. Gheiti (62 Y. Attard), N. Blundell, F. Al Girbi, K. Vella, J. Falzon.
Referee: Stefania Bonnici
MTARFA 0-4 VALLETTA
Ylenia Grech 23, Rodianne Zerafa 28, 56; Sara Bonello Ghio 73.
MTARFA
D. Grech; C. Versteegh, S. Bertona (25 O. Jelili), E. Csik, A. Fenech (47 S. Ghigo), E. Borg, K. Ciappara, M. Abdilla, S. Spiteri, P. Ciappara (73 K. Camilleri), R. Zammit.
VALLETTA
G. Grima; M. La Rosa, K. Zammit, M. Sultana, R. Zerafa, L. Muscat, S. Farrugia Sacco (65 H. Grima), Y. Grech, E. Micallef, L. Vella, S. Fenech (65 S. Bonello Ghio).
Referee: Steve Baldacchino