Fabrizio Miccoli's 14th-minute strike has ensured that Birkirkara and West Ham United are all square at 1-1 on aggregate in their Europa League second-round qualifier.
The Maltese minnows made a strong start to things, with a cagey visiting side having to hold their ground in the early stages.
A half-cleared long throw by Cheikhou Kouyate allowed Ryan Camenzuli to fire away the game's first real attempt, which ended narrowly over the crossbar.
West Ham created openings of their own as the half progressed, but Justin Hamer was equal to a Matt Jarvis shot down low to keep the Hammers' slender aggregate lead intact.
That soon changed, though, as Miccoli managed to convert a cross from six yards out to leave the tie delicately poised at the Infetti Ground.
It was West Ham who upped things in search of the second goal of the night, but they were often frustrated by Birkirkara's resolute backline.
Kouyate looked to take things into his own hands by charging 20 yards up the field, only for his shot to easily be collected by Hamer.
Things turned even worse for Slaven Bilic's charges just prior to the interval, when first-leg hero James Tomkins was shown a straight red following a coming together with Nikola Vukanac to leave the Hammers with it all to do.
