Gżira United maintained their perfect start to the Closing Round after seeing off Birkirkara in the rescheduled clash at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.

The encounter had originally been set for Friday evening but was pushed to Sunday following a technical problem with one of the goalposts at the venue.

The Maroons delivered another solid performance to register a second straight win, underlining their credentials as strong contenders for a Top 6 finish.

Birkirkara were the first to show intent, with Jacques Bayo striking the side-netting before Alessandro Coppola tried his luck but sent his effort over the bar. The Stripes continued to press, with Stephen Makoma also coming close only for his attempt to be blocked by the Gżira defence.

The turning point arrived on 70 minutes when Birkirkara were reduced to ten men after Francisco Lopez was shown a straight red card for a violent challenge on Andrew Borg.

Gżira wasted little time in taking advantage, breaking the deadlock just two minutes later as Bonilla Calderon curled a superb free-kick into the net.

Maxuell Maia nearly doubled the lead soon after but dragged his shot narrowly wide, yet the Maroons made sure of the points deep into stoppage time when new signing Stasa Basic added a second to seal the victory.