Balzan see off Birkirkara to stay on title path

BALZAN        3BIRKIRKARA 1 Balzan extended their unbeaten run to 20 league matches after having the better of Birkirkara 3-1 to make another important step towards winning their first BOV Premier League title.  With this win, Balzan opened a four-point gap on Valletta ahead of the latter’s match against Hibernians on Sunday afternoon. The Stripes suffered their first defeat after a 10-match unbeaten run. Balzan imposed themselves on the match from the outset. Milos Lepovic put Balzan ahead on 11 minutes, hitting past Birkirkara goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski after connecting with a perfect cross from Cadu. On 26 minutes, Balzan went close to increasing their advantage but Cadu’s free-kick came off the crossbar.  The Brazilian doubled Balzan’s lead four minutes into the second half and Alfred Effiong sealed the issue when scoring the third goal with 16 minutes remaining. Midfielder Ryan Scicluna scored Birkirkara’s consolation goal two minutes from the end.BOV player of the match: Cadu (Balzan) SENGLEA HOLD FLORIANA SENGLEA ATHLETIC 0FLORIANA                 0 Senglea Athletic jolted Floriana’s European hopes after holding them to a draw. A precious point for Senglea which lifts them further clear of the danger zone as they join Mosta on the 23-point mark. Floriana, on the other hand, dropped two important points in their bid to secure qualification to the UEFA Europa League. In a quiet match, scoring opportunities throughout the 90 minutes were scarce and it was no surprise that neither side managed to break the deadlock. Following a low-key start, Senglea’s Braian Volpini went close with a free-kick that was deflected away for a corner. Eight minutes later, Maurizio Vella’s powerful drive was blocked by Matthew Farrugia, the Senglea goalkeeper. BOV player of the match: Ivan Paz (Senglea Athletic). SPARTANS SEAL IT WITH TWO LATE GOALS NAXXAR LIONS          1ĦAMRUN SPARTANS 4 Ħamrun Spartans made it three wins on the spin after trouncing Naxxar Lions 4-1 at the Hibs Stadium. With this victory, Ħamrun have secured their BOV Premier League status for another season. Not so can be said of the Lions who remain second from bottom on 16 points, one point behind St Andrews and two behind Tarxien. Daniel Zerafa put Ħamrun ahead after only two minutes and Lydon Micallef doubled their lead when converting a penalty in the eighth minute.  Mark Fenech revived Naxxar’s hopes when pulling one back on 10 minutes. The match remained open until the closing stages as goals by Alex Nilsson (89) and Cristian Zaccardo in stoppage time sealed the points for the Spartans. BOV player of the match: Lydon Micallef (Ħamrun Spartans). SLIEMA BEAT SAINTS SLIEMA WANDERERS 1ST ANDREWS               0 A goal by Kilian Amehi 17 minutes from time earned Sliema Wanderers a narrow win over St Andrews. The Saints therefore missed the chance to pick up points in their battle against relegation while Sliema have joined Hibernians in sixth place on 36 points. The Wanderers threatened on 18 minutes when Mathias Muchardi’s effort was deflected by Frank Temile but the ball came off the crossbar. Three minutes from the end of the first half, St Andrews were denied by the woodwork as Tano Azian’s long-range effort rattled the crossbar. The Saints created the better chances but against the run of play, Sliema grabbed the winner thanks to Amehi who placed the ball in the back of the net. BOV player of the match: Riccardo Correa (Sliema Wanderers). CRUCIAL WIN FOR TARXIENTARXIEN RAINBOWS 4LIJA ATHLETIC           0 Tarxien Rainbows claimed a deserved 4-0 win over relegation-bound Lija Athletic 4-0 on Friday to give their survival hopes a massive boost. The Rainbows are now one point clear of the relegation play-off place with four matches to go. For Lija, this was their 11th consecutive defeat. The returning Andre Scicluna opened the scoring in the 17th minute and Samba Tounkara scored a brace in the 31st and 40th to put Tarxien’s minds at rest. Gabriel Aquilina added another 11 minutes from time. BOV player of the match: Samba Tounkara (Tarxien Rainbows).