Balzan 1
Micallef 54;
Sliema Wanderers 0
Back-to-back defeats to Floriana and Birkirkara had turned up the heat on Balzan.
Oliver Spiteri’s task in recent weeks has been hampered by injuries and suspensions as Balzan were once again without a host of players yesterday but they did just enough to overcome the stiff resistance offered by Sliema whose bright start was dampened by Pedrinho’s expulsion before half-time.
Even with a man to the good, Balzan struggled to impose themselves on the game but Lydon Micallef conjured up a fine individual strike early in the second half to give his team a hard-earned victory that enabled them to move one point ahead of Valletta, Birkirkara and Hibs at the summit.
While Micallef took the plaudits for his goal and Edison Bilbao Zarate earned admiration for a fine display in midfield, the spirited Blues were left to rue Pedrinho’s unnecessary sending-off.
Elkin Serrano and Zarate were back in the frame for Balzan but Justin Grioli was only certified fit to start on the bench due to injury.
Poor defending in the 4-1 loss to Birkirkara was probably a key factor in Spiteri’s decision to revert to four at the back as he opted for 4-3-3 with Alfred Effiong and Micallef playing either side of Aleksandar Vujacic.
Right-back Alex Muscat, back from suspension for Sliema, was restored to the starting XI, replacing Mark Scerri who was serving a one-match ban. Michael Mifsud was among the substitutes after recovering from injury as coach Stephen Azzopardi effectively retained the same team that started the 2-2 draw against Hibernians.
Sliema tore out of the blocks.
After four minutes, Kerlon aimed a perfect cross towards Aidan Friggieri whose effort was blocked by keeper Christian Cassar.
Balzan didn’t take long to respond. Steve Bezzina crossed for Vujacic whose flick was touched away by Glenn Zammit, the Sliema goalkeeper.
The Blues thought they had taken the lead when, on seven minutes, Muscat’s shot was parried away by Cassar and, amid the ensuing melee, Pedrinho drove the rebound home but assistant referee Jurgen Spiteri raised his flag to signal a penalty-box infringement.
When Samir Arab’s challenge sent Kerlon tumbling, Sliema appealed for a penalty but referee Clayton Pisani saw nothing wrong.
After an entertaining start, the game entered a lull. Then, on 24 minutes, Balzan had the ball in the net through Effiong but the Malta striker was offside.
Friggieri caught the eye with an excellent move a minute past the half-hour. Picking up possession deep into Sliema’s half, the Malta U-19 forward shook off his marker to advance through the middle before slipping a through-ball to Ledesma whose angled drive was beaten away by Cassar.
Ledesma limped off after sustaining an injury as he was about to shoot. He was replaced by Mifsud.
Moments later, Balzan had a good chance to break the deadlock as Effiong strode into the box to reach Vujacic’s assist but goalkeeper Zammit stood his ground as he saved in two attempts.
Pedrinho’s short temper complicated matters for Sliema as the Brazilian was shown a straight red card for swinging his arm at Balzan’s Luke Sciberras, leaving the Blues to plod on with 10 players.
At the start of the second half, Marko Potezica, a defensive midfielder, came on for Kerlon as Azzopardi tried to mitigate the damage caused by Pedrinho’s loss.
But Sliema’s cause was further compounded when, nine minutes into the second half, Balzan seized the lead. Micallef lit up the game as he glided past a host of Sliema players to race into the box before drilling a low shot past Zammit.
It was a fine solo effort from Micallef but a poor goal to concede for Sliema as their reaction to the escalating danger was hesitant.
In a rare Sliema attack, Gary Muir cushioned the ball towards Mifsud but the latter’s weak effort was easily dealt with by Cassar.
The two swapped roles 20 minutes from time as Mifsud’s pass released Muir but the Scottish wing-back fired wide.
With Balzan failing to drive home their numerical advantage, Sliema stayed in contention.
Five minutes from time, Muir lifted his free-kick over the wall but the ball whistled over the crossbar.
In stoppage time, Sliema threatened to snatch an equaliser but Potezica’s header, from Muir’s left-wing free-kick, was warded off by the Balzan defenders.
Balzan
C. Cassar-6, D. Grima-6.5, S. Arab-6, S. Bezzina-6, L. Micallef-7.5 (76 M. Focsa), C. Brincat-6.5, A. Effiong-6 (88 J. Zerafa), E. Serrano Valero-6.5, E. Bilbao Zarate-7, A. Vujacic-5, L. Sciberras-6 (60 T. Agius-5.5).
Sliema Wanderers
G. Zammit-5.5, A. Muscat-5.5, B. Essel-5.5, Pedrinho, R. Ledesma-5.5 (34 M. Mifsud-6), A. Friggieri-6.5, J. Bezzina-5.5 (81 P. Xuereb), Kerlon-6 (46 M. Potezica-5.5), G. Muir-6, S. Bianciardi-5, L. Dimech-5.
Referee: Clayton Pisani.
Yellow cards: Sciberras; Dimech.
Red card: Pedrinho (SW) 43.
BOV player of the match: Lydon Micallef (Balzan).