Balzan           1

Kaljevic 8

Tarxien         0 

Bojan Kaljevic’s early goal ensured Balzan joined Gżira United at the top of the standings, one point clear of Valletta who face Ħamrun Spartans on Sunday.

A pin-pointed cross by Samir Arab allowed Kaljevic to tap in from close range.

On the eighth minute, a sublime breaking move was initiated by Milos Lepovic, resulting in a perfect cross from Arab at the far post and a good finish from  Kaljevic.

As Balzan pressed for a second, the pacey Justin Grioli swept past Luke Grech but his vicious cross-cum-shot was punched away by goalkeeper Christian Cassar, past the half hour mark.

Despite enjoying a clear edge, Balzan lacked the inventiveness to translate their possession into scoring opportunities.

The match remained drab after the break, as both teams laboured to infuse their play with some sort of fluency.

A slick counter-attack freed Kaljevic down the left but his low effort was pushed away by Cassar. The clearance fell onto the feet of Alfred Effiong, who clipped the far post with Cassar beaten.

That move was the closest Balzan came to reaching anywhere near top gear but they did enough to close their opponents out for a victory.