A goal early in the second half handed Hamrun Spartans a narrow win over FK RFS of Latvia in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League play-off round at the National Stadium on Thursday.

A narrow win which keeps alive hopes of Hamrun Spartans being the first Maltese club to make it to the league stage of a UEFA competition. 

Hamrun scored the all-important goal ten minutes in the second half. Eder intercepted a pass by a defender and served Joseph Mbong on the right and off the latter’s cross, the unmarked Saliou Thioune drilled the ball past goalkeeper Marko Maric.

The second leg will be played in Riga on Thursday 28.

HAMRUN Henry Bonello, Rafael Compri, Saliou Thioune (Merlin Hadzi 89’), Joseph Mbong (91-Emerson Marcelina 89’), Vincenzo Polito (Sven Xerri 70’), N’Dri Philippe Koffi, Ante Coric (Matias Garcia 70’), Eder (Mouad El Fanis 75’), Ognjen Bjelicic, Domantas Simkus, Ryan Camenzuli. 

RFS Marko Maric, Aleksandar Filipovic, Roberts Savalnieks, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs, Darko Lemajic, Stefan Panic, Tayrall Wouter (Ismael Diomande 58’), Ziga Lipuscek, Mor Talla, Barthelemy Diedhiou (Petr Mares 46’), Strahinja Rakic (Martins Kigurs 77’). 

Referee: Ashot Ghaltakhchyan (ARM)

Asst. Referees: Mesrop Ghazaryan, Atom Sevgulyan (ARM)

Fourth Official: Artem Gasparyan (ARM)

VAR: Daniele Chiffi (ITA)

Assistant VAR: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)