Balzan 1 Floriana 3

Floriana left it late to turn tables on Balzan in what had become a rout of nine minutes from time. A late goal rush - a spectacular free-kick by Aman Verma before substitute Trevor Cilia burst into the area to slot the ball past Matthew Camilleri- ensured full points for Floriana to keep breathing on the neck of the pacesetters trio – Valletta, Birkirkara and Hibernians.

The scoreboard showed six minutes when Elton rounded Jurgen but his diagonal shot was cleared off the line by Aaron Brown.

The early exchanges did little to lift the subdued mood of the meagre crowd that braved the inclement weather as creative football proved hard to come by.

But the Greens took the lead on 13 minutes. Owen Bugeja – who was on the brink of joining Qormi on the last day of the transfer window - opened up the Balzan defence with a strong run on the left before serving Darmanin who powered the ball into the net.

Balzan were back in the game, nine minutes from the end of the half.

Rennie Forace threaded a pass for Elton who hit the ball between the post and Borg to equalise.

Just before the hour stroke, Valdo Alhino came on for the disappointing Clyde Borg as the Portuguese was detailed to pull the strings in midfield. His movement was causing Balzan problems. Alhino striding forward through the middle guided a through-pass to Darmanin who created space for a shot but the striker's effort was foiled by the assistant referee who flagged an offside position.

Floriana's possession count increased as the second half moved past the 75th minute. A a teasing cross from the right by Darmanin soared dangerously towards the Balzan box but Stefan Giglio cleared the ball.

Pedrinho provided some much-needed spark for Balzan with a good on the right flank before switching the ball to Dylan Grima whose grounder ended wide.

Nine minutes from time, Matthew Mendy scythed down Brooke Farrugia and Aman Verma smashed home a stunning 25-metre free-kick with a delightful strike that bent viciously away from Matthew Camilleri's despairing dive.

With Balzan forced to reshuffle their pack and chase the game, Floriana punished their flat-out approach with a quick counter-attack.

Darmanin carved the Balzan's defence wide open with a surging run before serving substitute Trevor Cilia who tipped the ball over the onrushing Camilleri.