MALTA 5
GERMANY 9
(0-2, 3-3, 1-3, 1-2)
The Malta waterpolo national team opened their commitments in the FINA World Cup Division B in Romania when they went down to tournament favourites Germany 9-5 on Friday.
Despite the defeat, coach Milan Ciruvic will be pleased with what he saw from his young team as they put on a battling display against the Germans, who are ranked as the tournament favourites in Romania.
The Germans were off to a strong start as they raced into a three-goal lead midway through the second session, as the Maltese struggled to create any danger to their opponents’ goal.
But, late in the second session, the Maltese finally breached the Germans’ defence as goals from Jake Muscat and Jayden Cutajar saw the Maltese head into the half-time interval 5-3 behind.
From then on, the Maltese continue to grow in confidence with goalkeeper Jake Tanti distinguishing himself with some fine saves, which included two penalty saves.
The Germans just managed to keep their noses ahead in the final session as goals from Alec Fenech, Sam Gialanze and Liam Galea put Malta 7-5 behind.
But in the end, the Germans had that extra quality as they added two more goals to seal the win.
Malta: J. Tanti, P. Borg, L. Galea 1, J. Cutajar 1, S. Gialanze 1, B. Cachia, B. Plumpton, J. Muscat 1, A. Fenech 1, N. Zammit, G. Farrugia.
Germany: F. Benke, F. Rotermund, F. Korbel 2, M. Cuk 1, F. Schutze 1, M. Jungling, D. Strelezky 3, C. Yannek 1, A. Sekulic, M. Dyck 1, N. Schipper, M. Gansen.
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 3 days agoRights groups demand release of jailed Qatar World Cup ex-staffer
Human rights groups on Wednesday called for the release of Abdullah Ibhais, a former...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 weeks agoNew Jersey governor says 2026 World Cup will be ‘incredibly safe’
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Sunday promised the 2026 World Cup will be...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 3 months agoSaudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco and world football governing body FIFA on Thursday...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 4 months agoSon scores but Thailand hold South Korea in World Cup qualifier
Son Heung-min scored but South Korea were held 1-1 at home by Thailand in...
By AFP