Neptunes strike early psychological blow on Sliema as San Ġiljan beat Sirens in President’s Cup

Neptunes delivered an early psychological blow to rivals Sliema in the season-opening President’s Cup, rising above off-pool distractions to claim a narrow but crucial win.

Despite ongoing tensions off the water – with the arbitration board set to rule on their dispute involving player Jake Muscat – Neptunes managed to stay focused.

Even without the leadership of captain Stevie Camilleri, the Reds showed composure and resilience to edge past their neighbours in a tightly-contested encounter.

It had been a very close affair early on as the score alternated with Sliema taking an early lead through Benji Cachia but Neptunes overturned the score when they scored twice in a row at each end of the second quarter.

The Reds then pulled ahead, establishing a three-goal cushion as Enrico Mallia delivered a pinpoint assist to Mark Castillo, who finished smartly from close range, before Mallia himself made it 7-4.

Sliema hit back through Dino Zammit’s superb-lofted pass, which Liam Galea met with a thunderous strike past goalkeeper Matthew Castillo.

Despite struggling to break down Neptunes’ resolute defence, Sliema managed to stay within touching distance, trailing 7-5 at the halfway mark.

Neptunes reasserted control early in the third session, with Alec Fenech and Jake Bajada netting in quick succession to extend their lead.

But the momentum soon swung.

In a thrilling turnaround, Sliema found their rhythm, scoring four times in rapid succession through Jamie Gambin, Galea, Angelos Vlachopoulos and Sam Engerer to level the score at 9-9.

That spurred Neptunes back into action, with Gergo Zalanki stepping up to edge his side ahead 10-9 heading into the final quarter.

Vlachopoulos equalised once more at the start of the fourth session, but Neptunes refused to buckle.

Mathias Azzopardi and Zalanki each found the net to restore a two-goal advantage.

With Alec Fenech and Miguel Gialanze fouled out, Neptunes were down to the bare bones, and Galea’s goal made it 12-11 to set up a tense finale.

Yet it was Zalanki who had the final say, scoring late to secure a 13-11 victory and a strong start to Neptunes’ summer campaign.

San Ġiljan secured a hard-fought victory over Sirens, only managing to break away from their opponents in the final session of an otherwise evenly-matched encounter.

The foreigners on both sides were in fine form, contributing a combined total of nine goals, with Nicolas Constantin-Bicari topping the scoring sheet with five goals.

The Balluta Bay side came out firing, with Aaron Younger netting an early brace to give the Saints a headstart.

The middle two sessions were closely contested, both ending 3-3, as neither side managed to gain a clear advantage.

Sirens showed resilience, narrowing the gap to just one goal at 8-7, putting real pressure on their opponents.

However, in the final quarter, San Ġiljan shifted gears, producing a dominant display.

Yet, in the last session, San Giljan took over scoring five times without reply before Zach Mizzi and Kayden Agius with a five-metre throw. In the latter stages, Jeremy Abela came to fore as he completed a poker of goals.

 SAN ĠILJAN 15

SIRENS 9

(3-1, 3-3, 3-3, 6-2)

SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja 2, R. Caruana, A. Younger 4, M. Zammit, J. Bonavia , B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela 4, N. Zammit 1, D. Zammit 1, N. Schiavone 1, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia 1.

SIRENS: J. Parnis, P. Serracino, N. Bicari 5, P. Borg, J. Cachia, K. Agius 1, M. Ortoleva, I. Riolo 1, J. Zerafa Gregory 1, M. Sciberras, Z. Mizzi 1, G. Farrugia, M. Bonello Dupuis, G. Pace.

Refs: Roberta Grillo, Ronnie Spiteri.

SLIEMA             11

NEPTUNES     13

(1-1, 4-6, 4-3, 2-3)

SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 1, L. Galea 3, J. Gambin 1, J. Cassar, B. Cachia 1, J. Cutajar 1, D. Rizzo, J. Chircop, A. Galea 1, A. Vlachopulos 2, D. Zammit, B. Busuttil, S. Engerer 1.

NEPTUNES: M. Castillo, S. Gialanze, G. Zalanki 4, L. Mallia, J. Camilleri 1, J. Valletta 1, M. Castillo 1, B. Schranz, J. Bajada 2, A. Fenech 1, M. Azzopardi 2, M. Rossi, E. Mallia 1.

Refs: Attilo Paoletti, Massimo Angileri.