Balzan claimed a 2:1 victory over Mosta in the Premier League's second round of fixtures on Sunday evening. The result leaves the hosts sixth in the table with four points from three games, while Mosta remain second on nine points after three wins.
The opening scenes turned sour for Mosta when J. Portelli was sent off in the eleventh minute. By then the visitors were already down to ten men, which shifted the balance of the encounter before either side could establish rhythm.
Giancarlo gave Balzan the lead in the twenty-fourth minute, capitalising on a moment of space. Mosta responded through P. Afriyie, who levelled in the forty-fourth before the break. The half ended level, but the numerical disadvantage hung over the visitors.
N. Djoric proved decisive in the fifty-second minute, firing home to restore Balzan's advantage. Mosta made three changes at the interval — J. Grech, E. Asante and Wanderson Gotinha all came on — but the away end never stopped searching for an equaliser.
The match produced a flurry of substitutions in the second half. Balzan brought on P. Afriyie in the sixty-eighth minute, while Mosta introduced S. Cipriott twice in quick succession. Foguete and N. Portelli both came on late on, but neither could find a way through.
Two yellow cards were shown — Foguete in the thirty-first and C. Oderinde in the sixty-third — as tensions rose. Balzan held firm to secure all three points, extending their unbeaten run to two matches.