In pictures: Fans celebrate as Ħamrun Spartans make history
Supporters watched the match on screens set up on St Joseph High Street
Football fans erupted in cheers and celebrations on the streets of Ħamrun on Thursday night as the Spartans made history by becoming the first Maltese team to reach the League Phase of a UEFA club competition.
Supporters cheered and lifted their hands into the air as the match drew to a close, letting off flares and waving flags enthusiastically.
Supporters watching the match on screens on the main high street. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
Malta's love of pyrotechnics was on proud display on Thursday. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
The excitement in the air was palpable. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
Fans young and old lined the streets, on balconies and in the road, with some hoisted up onto the shoulders of fellow supporters as horns beeped and the crowd roared its approval.
The locality, bathed in a sea of red, played host to a nail-biting match viewing on Thursday night, televised live from Riga, with supporters watching on screens set up on St Joseph High Street.
A young supporter looks on during a nail-biting moment in the match. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
Crowds celebrating in the streets. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
The Spartan's dreams - thought distant - of reaching a UEFA league phase were realised on Thursday. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
The tides of fortune seemed to swing in the Spartans' favour when Saliou Thioune and Vincenzo Polito twice put them ahead, and although rivals FC RFS managed to equalise, the Spartans showed great resilience to hold on and secure a historic qualification.
Young fans cheer on their heroes. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.But in the end, Spartan managed to hold level with their rivals, maintaining the lead secured in their first match against the Latvian side.