FLORIANA-                0

BALZAN FC-               2

Floriana: M. Grech, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, I. Varela, M. Vella (R. Camenzuli), M. Fontanella, J. Pisani, A. Cini, N. Chiesa, C. Borg (Z. Camilleri), A. Samb (A. Scicluna)

Balzan FC: I. Janjusevic, D. Grima (L. Micallef), B. De Oliveira, B. Kaljevic, R. Fenech,  S. Bezzina, A. Souza (J. Grioli), M. Piciollo (A. Effiong), E. Serrano, P. Fenech, A. De Barros

Referee: A.M. Sant

Asst.refs: J. Spiteri, P. Apap

Additional asst.refs: F. Zammit, M. Degabriele

4th official: P. Abela

Scorers: E. Serrano 11, A. De Barros 33

Yellow cards: A. Souza, M. Picciollo, I. Varela

Player of the match: A. Souza (Balzan)

TMI top 3: 1. A. Souza  2. R. Fenech  3. M. Fontanella

Balzan’s ambitions are growing and this win, against difficult opponents like Floriana, propelled them back to the summit of the BoV Premier League, one point above Hibernians before two forthcoming direct encounters against Valletta and the same Paolites.

Balzan were able to show their pedigree, cruising into a commanding two-goal first half lead and leave an out-thought and outclassed Floriana looking like a side from an inferior division. In the second period, Floriana were no better and Balzan could defend their lead with minimal difficulty.

Floriana’s first-half play was littered with errors. They could not get going in midfield, where De Barros, Ryan and Paul Fenech were in command for Balzan, and their cutting edge was missing once again.

Their frailties were brutally exposed as Balzan played with the belief and freedom of title challengers.

Photos Domenic Aquilina

By virtue of this defeat, a deflated Floriana now drop to fifth place behind Birkirkara.

Floriana had their midfielder Steve Pisani suspended, replaced by Clyde Borg. Coach Giovanni Tedesco also replaced Monticelli with Enrico Pepe at the back, Alex Cini started instead of Andre Scicluna and Mario Fontanella was included in the initial line-up to replace Ryan Camenzuli.

Balzan, with only two clean sheets in their last 11 league matches, yesterday bolstered their defence with Bruno De Oliveira back to partner Elkin Serrano in the centre. Dylan Grima played as right back and Ivan Janjusevic started in goal to replace Cassar. Ryan Fenech was back in midfield after suspension as Samir Arab and Alfred Effiong were exiled to the bench.

Balzan laid siege on their opponents from the very first minute. They made the more assertive start when Souza picked Kaljevic’s pass inside the Floriana area but was blcoked by Pepe.

Balzan won a corner after four minutes. Serrano’s effort was blocked by the crowded Floriana defence, De Oliveira’s shot on the rebound was held out by keeper Grech before Kaljevic put the final shot off target.

Balzan were soon to make the breakthrough after 11 minutes. Ryan Fenech played a free kick from near the corner flag from the right and defender Elkin Serrano rose to connect and head in past the Floriana keeper.

It was the prompt for a furious ten-minute period of Balzan pressure.

But when the tide abated after that, Floriana could settle more into the game.

Before the quarter hour Chiesa advanced inside the Balzan area and, when blcoked by some defenders, the ball ran loose to Samb whose low cross shot was intercepted by the grounded goalkeeper.

Fontanella tested Janjusevic from close range, with the Balzan keeper footing out the ball into a corner.

At this stage, Floriana were well in the game. Towards the half hour, following good work by Samb, his cross was picked by Borg, whose curling shot was easy prey for keeper Janjusevic. Then a Varela grounder went narrowly wide.

And when Floriana were producing their best, Balzan hit them with a second goal past the half hour. Souza laid the ball wide in the path of Anderson De Barros who beat keeper Grech with a low diagonal strike.

It was a hard blow for the Greens, who had other midfielder Maurizio Vella forcing his way out of the pitch with some muscle problems five minutes before the break.

Balzan’s intensity dipped in the second half but Floriana, who put in defender Andre Scicluna for the inocuous Samb at halftime, failed to capitalise as they remained devoid of ideas. They created precious little of note except for a couple of corners and free kicks which failed to trouble Janjusevic in goal.

And with no prospect of a Floriana comeback in sight, Balzan themselves could have even added more goals in the late stages. Floriana keeper Grech turned Kaljevic’s shot into a corner and on the stroke of full time Effiong put Kaljevic clear but the latter sent his effort wide with only the keeper to beat.

BIRKIRKARA -                       3

HAMRUN SPARTANS -        0

Birkirkara: H. Bonello, E. Herrera (R. Scicluna) , C. Bubalovic, G. Sciberras, E. Agius (S. Dimitrov), M. Andelkovic, N. Vukanac, J. Zerafa, M. Alba, C. Attard, G. Malan (J. Obregon)

Hamrun S: D. Cassar, C. Anigbogu, M. Micallef, K. Micallef, S. Arab (D. Debono), L. Grech, I. Misan, B. Paiber, S. Nanapere, M. Giusti (L. Motta), L. Sciberras (M. Manset)

Referee: G. Tonna

Asst.refs: S. Attard, D. Petrovic

4th official: E. Grech

Scorers: G. Malan 36, C. Bubalovic 60, S. Dimitrov 90

Yellow cards: H. Bonello, G. Malan, J. Zerafa

Player of the match: M. Alba (Birkirkara)

TMI top 3: 1. M. Alba  2. G. Sciberras  3. M. Andelkovic

Attendance: 1,038

Birkirkara turned the tables on Hamrun Spartans with a display of physical, clinical football that gave the Stripes another vital three points in their fight for a top-four finish.

Goals from Malan, Bubalovic and substitute Dimitrov gave Birkirkara the win that lifts them in fourth place, one point above Floriana.

Birkirkara’s slick passing and flowing football in midfield, with Gareth Sciberras, Mislav Andelkovic, Edmond Agius and Edward Herrera always highly involved, was a pleasure to watch.

Birkirkara coach Nikola Jaros replaced Jovic and Dimitrov with Bubalovic and Andelkovic and this was indicative of the newfound confidence and resilience in a group of players who appear liberated.

That Birkirkara’s backline barely broke sweat when it came to their defensive duties, says everything about Hamrun’s inept performance.

The Spartans were eventually punished for a half-baked display. Their desperation for a first win in six matches was not enough.

A team very much designed to defend, Hamrun are not great at coming up with a Plan B and, sure enough, they struggled to get going.

They had David Cassar back in goal but their most inventive player Jake Grech was missing.

Birkirkara started promisingly enough and it was clear Hamrun were having difficulty dealing with the pace and delivery of Miguel Alba on the left in the early exchanges.

But for the first half hour, the Stripes failed to breach the Spartans’ rearguard and the closest they went was with a Sciberras headed effort that went over and Malan was blocked inside the Hamrun area at the point of shooting.

On 20 minutes an inswinging Alba free kick from the left, was deflected by keeper Cassar into a corner.

When Malan looked like giving Birkirkara the lead, midway through the half, as he headed in an Alba deep cross, Hamrun’s harsh protests had the referee ruling out the goal for some handling infringement he failed to notice.

But there was no denying Birkirkara ten minutes later. This time Andelkovic played the ball wide to Herrera who crossed low from the right for Gonzalo Malan to flick it past the stretched Hamrun keeper.

Birkirkara remained on the offensive, dominating possession, for most of the half but could not add further goals before the interval.

The second half followed suit. Alba had opened the entire Hamrun defence with his forage through the middle but his pass for Malan lacked precision and Agius’ final shot was saved by keeper Cassar.

In a rare moment of Hamrun threat, Paiber’s direct free kick was saved by keeper Bonello.

A spell in which the game became scrappy ensued but with Alba’s pace persistently troubling the Hamrun rearguard, it could not last.

On the hour, from an Alba corner from the left, Christian Bubalovic headed in to double the Stripes’ lead and put the result beyond doubt.

Hamrun effected a double substitution on 65 minutes, putting in Matheiu Manset and Leandro Motta.

But Birkirkara remained the more potent going forward.  An Agius shot was deflected into a corner and on 83 minutes, the woodwork saved Hamrun from further derision as substitute Obregon thumped the cross from other substitute Scicluna, against the bar.

Hamrun were living dangerously in the final stages. Attard hit Alba’s corner from the right over the Hamrun goal before other substitute Srdan Dimitrov completed the rout with a third goal, hitting low at the far post, on the stroke of full time.