Birkirkara reignited their bid for a Top Six finish with a commanding 4–0 victory over Tarxien Rainbows at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, powered by a sensational four-goal haul from new signing Asumah Abubakar-Ankrah.

The Stripes entered the match knowing nothing less than three points would do against the struggling Rainbows if they were to stay in contention for a place among the top six. And it was their in-form striker who rose to the occasion, producing a clinical performance that lifted Birkirkara into third place on 16 points, level with Ħamrun Spartans.

As expected, Birkirkara dominated possession from the start but initially found it difficult to unlock Tarxien’s compact defence. Their persistence, however, paid off in the 25th minute, when Stephan Makoma’s angled drive was deftly flicked in by Abubakar-Ankrah to open the scoring.

Six minutes later, the Ghanaian forward doubled the lead, heading home from a Marcos Maydana free-kick to put the Stripes firmly in control.

Tarxien’s best chance came four minutes before halftime, when Tiago Conceição found space inside the area but fired over from close range.

Birkirkara dominate after the break

With a two-goal cushion, Birkirkara managed the tempo after the break while continuing to look the more dangerous side. In the 62nd minute, Abubakar-Ankrah completed his hat-trick with a touch of flair — finishing off a quick counter as Makoma burst into the box before unselfishly squaring for the striker to backheel the ball into the net.

The forward wasn’t done yet. In the 73rd minute, he netted his fourth goal of the match after Lucas Macula surged into the area and laid the ball off for the unmarked Portuguese-born attacker, who tapped home to seal a memorable victory.

The result gives Birkirkara vital momentum ahead of their final Opening Round clash against the reigning champions, as they now await results from Ħamrun Spartans, Hibernians, Sliema Wanderers, and Marsaxlokk to determine their position in the standings.