Sliema ASC moved one win away from ending a 15-year league title drought when they brushed aside champions San Ġiljan 12-8 and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match Play-off Final series.
Should the Blues go on to repeat this impressive performance on Wednesday they will be declared champions. San Ġiljan, on their part, must win at all costs to force a third a decisive match on Saturday.
Sliema’s total commitment was very evident as with Giacomo Cannella and Aaron Younger shadowing each other, the Sliema youngsters rose to the occasion as they provided the drive and power needed to win matches of this sort where there is an element of intense exchanges.
This rendered San Ġiljan nervous. A strangely subdued San Giljan yesterday with coach Marco Orlovic back on the bench, were found wanting in extra-man sets, scoring from seven.
Within the first three minutes, Sliema were two goals up, courtesy of goals from Jayden Cutajar and Elijah Schembri and to make matters worse for San Ġiljan, Jeremy Abela was excluded with substitution after kicking Schembri.
However, that was no excuse for a somewhat colourless showing, although they are to be lauded for some spirited fare after the interval. The Saints need to raise their game beyond recognition, if they want to take the game beyond Wednesday and cancel Sliema’s advantage.
Matthew Zammit broke the Saints’ duck to make it 2-1, before three goals without reply from Benji Cachia, Liam Galea and Cutajar had teams changing ends on 5-1 for the Blues.
At this point, San Ġiljan had been very wasteful when they lost two crucial man-ups. On the first occasion, Matthew Castillo, the Sliema custodian made a vital block on Nikolai Zammit.
With the foreigners in the water cancelling each other from the match. San Giljan converted their first man-up on the third time of asking with Zammit. Galea restored Sliema’s four-goal cushion before goals from Matthew Zammit and Aaron Younger, with a five-metre throw, cut down the deficit to 6-4.
But San Ġiljan continued with their trail of errors and blunt finishing. On their part, the sprightlier Blues kept whipping away the goals, to suffocate the Saints’ comeback as the two sides shared eight goals in the third session.
In the fourth session, the Saints re-doubled their efforts and Nikolai Zammit and Younger cut the leeway to just two goals. Cachia made it 10-7 for Sliema.
When Zammit completed his poker with three minutes to go, there was still everything to play for. But Jamie Gambin and Cachia made it safe for Sliema.
In the first division, play-off final, Marsaxlokk won the first rubber against Exiles. Julian Valletta and Fran Valera were the protagonists in the Southseasiders’ victory with a nap of goals apiece.
MARSAXLOKK 19
EXILES 12
(7-1, 4-5, 4-3, 4-3)
MARSAXLOKK: M. Farrugia, M. Lanzon 2, A. Cook 1, A. Aquilina, T. Agius, J. Valletta 5, R. Spiteri 1, J. Pawley, R. Galea 4, J. Borg Tabone, F. Valera 5, R. Attard, A. Fava 1, S. Mifsud.
EXILES: Z. Dzanovic, Z. Cutajar Licari, Z. Micallef, D. Pace Lupi, M. Martelacci, N. Bonavia, D. Gogov 4, K. Griscti 4, N. Paris, K. Tanti 3, M. Fenech, N. Saliba, G. Galea Curmi, S. Cutajar Casha 1.
Refs M. Angilleri, A. Zedda.
SAN ĠILJAN 8
SLIEMA 12
(0-2, 1-3, 4-4, 3-3)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, N. Bugelli, D. Tully, R. Caruana, A. Younger 3, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia, J.Zammit, J. Abela, N. Zammit 4, D. Zammit , N. Schiavone , G. Borg, G. Bonavia
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 1, L. Galea 3, J. Gambin 1, G. Cannella, B. Cachia 4, J. Cutajar 3, D. Rizzo, J. Brownrigg, A. Galea, S. Engerer, D. Zammit, M. Castillo, J. Cassar
Refs F. Brasiliano, A. de Raffaele.
