Maroons back on track with win over Balzan
Gzira United registered their first win under the stewardship of Paul Zammit when they defeated Balzan by three goals to one. It was a rather balanced affair following a dull first half. But in the second half the Maroons were the superior outfit though Balzan resisted till the end.
Gzira headed into this match in fifth place on twenty nine points, six behind the two jointleaders Floriana and Valletta. But lately they were passing through a rough patch collecting just one point from the last three matches losing to Santa Lucia and Sliema whilst holding Floriana into a 2-2 draw.
Balzan share the seventh place with Hamrun and Mosta. The same can be said of Balzan who won just two out of the last eight matches and as is Gzira’s case collected just one point from the last three matches losing to Floriana and Valletta with the earned point materializing against Birkirkara.
Missing for Balzan the suspended Kristijan Naumovski and Uros Ljubomirac who were sent off in their last match against Valletta. In the first round Gzira defeated Balzan by two goals to nil and so they sealed a double over their opponents.
The first half produced just two chances both coming from the Maroons. On five minutes Davis passed towards Marco Criaco only for this shot to end wide off the mark. Fifteen minutes and Paul Fenech slipped in the midfield area with Nikolai Muscat taking hold of the ball, setting Kone but his shot was blocked by Mintoff.
The rhythm in the first part of the second period was in the same pattern of the first forty five minutes. But in the 55th minute Gzira went near through a Kone shot from the edge of the area which was turned onto a corner by Mintoff.
Two minutes later and the Maroons finally forged ahead. Following a short corner, with Kone and Criaco exchanging the ball, a cross by the former was perfectly met by Rodolfo Soares who rose high and headed past a helpless Mintoff.
Sixteen minutes from the end of the match and Gzira put the issue beyond doubt. A Corbalan cross from the left side found Martin Davis at the far post who had the easiest of tasks to head the ball into the net.
But Balzan had different ideas and just two minutes had elapsed when they pulled a goal back. Montebello’s cross completely cut the Gzira rearguard with Alfred Effiong being on hand to plant the ball into the net.
Though the final word came from Gzira who scored their third goal in added time when Player of the Match Martin Davis with only Mintoff to beat had his shot blocked by the Balzan goalkeeper with Amadou Samb being metres away to hit the ball home.