BALZAN 2
Nafti 31, Fenech 43

TARXIEN RAINBOWS 2
Galea 75, Nilsson 81

Balzan threw away a two-goal lead to drop precious points in their quest for their first championship.

The leaders looked home and dry after surging into a two lead inside the opening period but they ended up holding on by the skin of their teeth.

For much of the game, there was no contest as Balzan were too strong for Tarxien but Spiteri’s team grew increasingly sluggish while the Rainbows rejuvenated by the introduction of Julian Galea rallied to pull two goal back.

When they broke their opponents just past the half hour mark, Balzan appeared to be coasting home. The goal came after an intelligent piece of work from Nafti who connected to Fenech’s long ball before chipping a delicate lob over the onrushing Schranz.

The longer the game went on, the more emphatic Balzan’s edge became, and teir second goal just before the break seemed to kill any hopes the Rainbows might have had of saving the match.

Fenech timed his run to meet Kaljevic’s ball, beat the offside trap to leave the Tarxien defenders standing flat-footed and arms raised before planting the ball behind Schranz.

On 63 minutes, Ryan Fenech kept up the leaders’ good work with a free-kick that Schranz punched away. With Oliver Spiteri’s side coasting, Ryan Fenech’s menacing cross from the right soared dangerously towards the box but Kaljevic’s header from point-blank range, dropped wide.

Jesmond Zerafa’s team saw a thin ray of hope fifteen minutes from time when Bruno’s miscued clearance from Alves’s dangerous cross skewed the ball towards substitute Julian Galea, who volleyed the ball home.

And nine minutes from time Tarxien stunned Balzan, when following a cross from the right, the ball was missed by all except for Nilsson on the far side, whose rising shot hit the crossbar and flew past Ivan Janjusevic.

At the death, Daniel Zerafa got his head to substitute Terence Agius’s long-range shot to deflect it over the bar.