Ħamrun Spartans kept their UEFA Conference League hopes alive after battling to a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to NSÍ Runavík in the first leg of their first qualifying round tie.The Maltese champions looked to have an uphill battle after the hosts broke the deadlock in the 26th minute through Knudsen, but Ħamrun showed resilience after the break.Lucas Villela provided the assist for Tobias Björnstad, who calmly slotted home the equaliser in the 56th minute to give the Spartans a deserved lifeline.The result comes after a difficult build-up for Ħamrun, whose trip to the Faroe Islands was disrupted by significant travel delays that left the squad visibly fatigued before kick-off.Despite the circumstances, the Spartans dug deep to leave the Faroes with a valuable away draw, setting up a winner-takes-all second leg in Malta next week.With home advantage now on their side, Ħamrun will be confident they can finish the job and book their place in the next round of the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.Did you watch this game?Photo credits to hamrunspartansfc•