Balzan return as sole leaders but were held by Gzira in a goalless draw.

In a drab encounter, goalmouth chances were rare and far in between.

On the sixth minute, Effiong nodded the ball into the path of Kaljevic but the Balzan forward fired his shot over the bar from a good position.

On the other side, a quick foray involving Zack Scerri and Moises Avila Perez released Ndubisi Okoye on the left. The Gzira winger embarked on a dazzling run that took him past a posse of players before trying to get the ball between the goalkeeper and the goalpost. However, Justin Haber blocked his effort.

The first ripple after ends were changed came from Gzira. Scerri drifted infield from the flank but his long-range drive was deflected away for a corner. Gzira tried to impose themselves, forcing a series of flag-kicks and free-kick which however failed to yield anything tangible.

On 68 minutes, Effiong tried to take advantage from a rare slip-up by Destin Mambouana in defence but his diagonal effort skimmed the post.