Malta national team head to Berlin for World Cup semi-finals

The Malta men’s waterpolo national team left Malta on Thursday on their way to Berlin, Germany, where they will be in action at the World Aquatics World Cup Division Two sem-finals tournament that starts on Friday.

The team will be under the guidance of assistant national coach Niki Lanzon assisted by Anthony Farrugia in the absence of national coach Milan Cirovic.

The contingent will be led by ASA president Karl Izzo, Charles Portelli, the Team Manager while Jed El Saghir is the physiotherapist.

Malta was drawn in Group B against Germany, China, and South Africa.

Romania, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Iran are the teams in Group A.

On Friday, Malta will face Germany at 1pm and then face China at 7pm.

Malta will face South Africa on Saturday at 2pm before ending their commitments on Sunday with the classification play-off.

“The Maltese sporting community should be proud that Malta has reached the semi-finals of a World Cup,” ASA president Izzo said in a statement.

“It may come as a surprise to many, but water polo has an interesting history and has achieved very positive results in recent years at both senior and junior levels. These results are a culmination of the investment by the clubs and the association who are working hand in hand.”

In a statement, the ASA thanked Sports Minister Clifton Grima and Sport Malta for their financial assistance.