Balzan came back from a goal down to beat Gżira United 2-1 in a match from the VBET Malta Premier Opening Round league phase at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Saturday.
Gzira managed to break the deadlock just past the hour but two penalties in the final ten minutes handed Balzan the three points.
The Maroons welcomed back Gabriel Bohrer Mentz after serving a one-match ban and had Filipe Maio named in the starting line-up with Marc van de Bovenkamp and Jonathan Farias being among the substitutes.
Balzan, on the other hand, lacked the suspended Jake Portelli. Samir Arab and Nicholas Pulis were handed a start with Sean Cipriott included as a substitute during the second half.
Gżira managed to take the lead on 61 minutes when Brooklyn Borg concluded a great move on the left with a low shot which hit the foot of the upright and bounced onto Samir Arab before ending at the back of the net.
Balzan equalised on 82 minutes when they were awarded a penalty after Saldanha floored Oluwatobiloba Awosanya inside the area and Awosanya converted from the penalty spot to level matters.
Two minutes from time, Awosanya converted another penalty for Balzan after they played another FVS card as the referee had initially failed to notice the handling of the ball by Gabriel Mentz.