Birkirkara returned to winning ways with an easy win against Pembroke this afternoon. 

Hardly half a minute had elapsed when Fabrizio Miccoli darted into the penalty area and attempted a shot that narrowly missed the target. It was an early scare for Pembroke who realised that they were set for a tough afternoon. 

On 11 minutes, Birkirkara broke the deadlock. Miccoli turned provider and fed Mauricio Mazzetti swivelled to scissor-kick the ball into the low corner. 

Just after the first quarter, the Stripes doubled their account. Liliu played a neat one-two with Plut before breezing past his marker on the right but the striker aimed for goal but Matthew Farrugia, the Pembroke goalkeeper blocked his effort. The rebound landed at the feet of Plut who stabbed the ball home. 

Birkirkara were surging forward at ease and Pembroke were clearly struggling to contain their opponents. With a third goal in the offing for the Stripes, the first division champions pulled a goal back with a swift move just before half-time. Austin Martz controlled the ball on the edge of the area and beat Justin Haber with a low shot. 

The goal came at the right time for Pembroke and Birkirkara had to pull up their socks if they were to restore a comfortable lead and prevent an unlikely comeback from Athleta after the break. 

Birkirkara took to the pitch in determined fashion after the interval and managed to restore their two-goal cushion on 50 minutes. 

Miccoli won a freekick in mid-pitch. His ensuing effort was too hot to hold for Farrugia and Muscat who surged unchecked into the box before planting the rebound past the goalkeeper.