Balzan continued their positive start to the 2016/17 football season today when they eased past Gżira United 3-1 at the Tedesco Stadium.
Gżira started brightly and after two minutes Juan Corbalan forced Ivan Janjusevic into a fine one-handed save.
Balzan gradually came more into the picture and Gżira goalkeeper Jurgen Borg did well to block Abdel Karim Nafti’s drive.
The Reds took the lead on 33 minutes when Steve Bezzina picked Bojan Kaljevic inside the area. The Montenegrin headed the ball into the path of Paul Fenech who beat Borg from close in.
Balzan made it 2-0 on 41 minutes when in a quick raid Lydon Micallef squared the ball to Kaljevic who slid the ball past the Gżira goalkeeper.
The Maroons almost conceded a third a minute into the second half when Bezzina found Micallef inside the area but his effort was somehow kept out by Borg.
Gżira pulled a goal back on 77 minutes when Liliu found Joceano inside the area and the Brazilian beat Janjusevic with a diving header.
But it was Balznn who had the final say when substitute Matteo Piciollo sped clear and beat the onrushing Kyle Gerada to seal a 3-1 win.
In today's second match Mosta beat St Andrews 1-0.
St. Andrews experienced despair when Jake Galea’s terrible blunder handed Mosta all points in an untidy victory.
The game developed into a balanced affair with both teams trying to break the respective defensive trenches with through balls or crosses.
Generally, Mosta tried to take their game to their opponents but St. Andrews’ thick midfield hardly gave them any space in which to build their attacks. Past the half-hour mark, Martin Vlcek unleashed a low drive which finished just wide off the near post. Mosta continued to look dangerous, although Edmond Lufi’s side would not have expected to be handed the lead by the opponents. Priso’s audacious looping shot did not look particularly dangerous but Jake Galea, the Saints’ goalkeeper let the ball slip through his grasp and Kemar Reid stole in for the simplest of tap-ins.
St. Andrews were showing some good touches after the break and should have equalised when Kastrevec passed to Kyrian Nwoko who took one touch before arrowing his shot past Yenz Cini but his effort crashed against the far post.
Enmy Pena Beltre’s foraging runs down the right were causing problems to Mosta as they couldn’t find a way to halt the Saints winger. This was evident on 55 minutes when Beltre made good progress on the wing before cutting back to Kastrevec. The Slovenia underlined again his passing skills to return the ball to the winger but Beltre’s rising shot was touched over the bar by Cini.
The onus was now on St. Andrews to try to salvage something out of the game. They move forward more persistently but the clear openings were hard to come by. On 77 minutes, Beltre’s swerving shot sailed towards the far post but finished on the side-netting.
Eight minutes from time, Cini came out of his lines to try and cut out substitute Jacob Walker’s cross-cum-shot but the Mosta goalkeeper somehow allowed the ball to skid under him. Much to his relief, the industrious Vlcek spared Cini’s blushes when hooking the ball away.