It may still be early days, but Sliema are already shaping up as the team to beat this season.
The Blues have rediscovered their vintage form, following up their derby win over Neptunes with another commanding performance – this time against San Ġiljan – lowering the colours of both title contenders in the process.
At the heart of their resurgence is Angelos Vlachopoulos, who has emphatically justified Sliema’s decision to prefer him over Giacomo Cannella.
The Greek international had already proven himself a selfless all-rounder, willing to do the dirty work for the team – but on Saturday, he added goals to grit, delivering a five-star performance that underlined his growing influence.
San Ġiljan got off to a promising start through Nikolai Zammit, but it was Sliema who took control as the match progressed.
Shaken by the early goal, the Blues quickly regrouped, with Jayden Cutajar and Liam Galea turning the tide in their favour.
Although Zammit briefly restored parity, Sliema surged ahead once again with a quick-fire brace from Elijah Schembri, finishing the first session 4-2 in front.
The Blues continued to build momentum in the second session.
Benji Cachia capitalised on a counter-foul to go one-on-one with Jake Tanti, coolly extending Sliema’s lead.
Still, San Ġiljan refused to back down. Zammit remained in fine form, completing his hat-trick to narrow the gap.
Darren Zammit then pulled another back, making it 5-4 and keeping the Saints within touching distance.
But Sliema’s firepower wasn’t done. Vlachopoulos reasserted Sliema’s control with a precise finish, followed by Sam Engerer, who stretched the lead to 7-4, the first three-goal cushion of the match.
Seeking a spark, San Ġiljan coach Giorgos Katsaounis introduced Matthew Zammit, and the captain immediately came to his side’s rescue, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
Yet Vlachopoulos, in inspired form, struck again with a sharp shot on the fly to restore Sliema’s lead.
San Ġiljan’s Aaron Younger was left ruing his luck after hitting the crossbar twice from close range.
However, Jake Bonavia made the most of a swift counter-attack to bring it back to 8-6. Even so, there was no stopping Vlachopoulos, who once again rose out of the water to fire Sliema into a 9-6 half-time lead.
Sliema extended their lead to four goals early in the third session, courtesy of a deflected effort by Liam Galea.
San Ġiljan finally responded through Younger, who finally broke his duck with a beautifully placed diagonal shot.
Nikolai Zammit came agonisingly close to narrowing the gap further, brilliantly turning his marker with a slick pirouette despite having his head submerged, only for his shot to crash against the underside of the crossbar and bounce out.
Galea then completed his hat-trick with a close-range finish to make it 11-7, but San Ġiljan refused to throw in the towel.
Jake Bonavia struck to reduce the deficit to three, and Younger kept the momentum alive by converting two five-metre penalties in quick succession, dragging his side back to within one at 11-10.
Sliema began to show signs of frustration, particularly after squandering a promising double man-up situation – with Dino Zammit losing possession cheaply when about to shoot.
But just as San Ġiljan sensed a full comeback, John Brownrigg stepped up with a vital goal just 15 seconds before the end of the third session, restoring a two-goal cushion.
At 12-10 heading into the final quarter, the match was finely poised, with everything still to play for.
Sliema wasted no time at the start of the fourth session, as Elijah Schembri set up Jayden Cassar for a swift counterattack that restored their three-goal cushion.
Moments later, Benji Cachia produced a crucial block to deny Younger, and Sliema capitalised immediately again, surging forward for Schembri to complete his hat-trick and extend the lead to 14-10.
Cachia stood tall once again, frustrating the Australian star with another key intervention, as San Ġiljan struggled to break through Sliema’s disciplined defence.
At the other end, Schembri continued to shine, this time beating Jake Tanti with a delicate lob to give Sliema a commanding five-goal lead with under three minutes remaining.
The match was effectively over as a contest, though Younger managed to add a touch of respectability to the scoreline by converting his third five-metre penalty, his fourth goal of the evening, for a final result of 15-11 in Sliema’s favour.
The match between Neptunes and Exiles took a dramatic turn following the dismissal of Kanstantsin Averka for brutality – a moment that shifted the momentum entirely and effectively ended Exiles’ challenge.
The red card, issued midway through the second session for violent play, sparked strong protests from the Exiles camp.
It not only disrupted their rhythm but also nullified their efforts, paving the way for Neptunes to take control of the game.
Up until that point, Exiles had held their own, matching Neptunes stride for stride.
The teams were locked in a close contest before that point, with Neptunes narrowly leading 7-5 at the halfway mark. But after the break, the tide turned.
Hungarian star Gergo Zalanki and veteran Steve Camilleri took charge, leading Neptunes’ offensive surge.
Zalanki finished as top scorer with five goals, while Camilleri added four. Alec Fenech also made his mark with a well-earned hat-trick.
Exiles’ woes deepened early in the fourth session when their captain, Kurt Griscti, was expelled for dissent, further compounding their frustrations on an evening that slipped rapidly out of their control.
Earlier, Sirens returned to winning ways, overpowering Valletta to secure a much-needed win that keeps their season on track. Valletta, meanwhile, remain anchored to the bottom of the Premier League table without a point.
From the outset, the Northenders took control of the match, asserting their dominance early with five unanswered goals. It was a blistering start that left Valletta on the back foot and facing an uphill battle.
Joe Cremona’s side attempted to regain composure and steady the ship, but Sirens, led by Ranko Perovic, maintained their momentum. They went into halftime with a comfortable 10-6 lead.
Sirens continued to press in the third quarter, stretching their advantage to five goals at 15-10, effectively putting the game beyond Valletta’s reach.
Although Valletta edged the final quarter 4-3, it was little more than a formality, as Sirens held firm to seal an 18-14 victory.
NEPTUNES 19
EXILES 6
(2-1, 5-4, 5-0, 7-1)
NEPTUNES: M. Castillo, S. Gialanze 2, G. Zalanki 5, L. Mallia 1, J. Valletta 1, S. Camilleri 4, M. Castillo 1, B. Schranz, J. Bajada 1, A. Fenech 3, M. Azzopardi, M. Rossi, E. Mallia, J. Camilleri 1.
EXILES: A. Borg Cole, G. Gatt, Z. Micallef, D. Pace Lupi 1, T. Agius, M. Martellacci, M. Fenech, K. Griscti, K. Averka 3, K. Tanti 2, K. Navarro, D. Zahra, G. Galea Curmi, l. Hyzler.
Refs: S. Licari, L. Iocavelli
VALLETTA 14
SIRENS 18
(4-7, 2-3, 4-5, 4-3)
VALLETTA: A. Bugeja, M. Mifsud 6, M. Carani, J. Sciberras, S. Busuttil, M. Zammit 3, I. Nagaev 2, K. Borg 3, K. Erdogan, M. Chircop, K. Cremona, G. Borg.
SIRENS: J. Parnis, P. Serracino, N. Bicari 5, P. Borg 1, J. Cachia 3, K. Agius 2, M. Ortoleva, I. Riolo 3, J. Zerafa Gregory 1, M. Sciberras, N. Rafailovic, G. Farrugia 2, M. Bonello Dupius, G. Pace 1.
SLIEMA 15
SAN ĠILJAN 11
(4-2, 5-4, 3-4, 3-1)
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 4, L. Galea 3, S. Engerer 1, J. Cassar 1, B. Cachia 1, J. Cutajar 1, D. Rizzo, J. Brownrigg 1, A. Galea, A. Vlachopulos 3, D. Zammit, B. Busuttil, J. Chircop.
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja, D. Tully, R. Caruana, A. Younger 4, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia 2, B. Plumpton, J. Abela, N. Zammit 3, D. Zammit 1, N. Schiavone, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia.
Refs: Ronnie Spiteri, Mirko Schiavo.
