Saints to face Sirens in play-off semi-finals, Blues take on rivals Neptunes
San Ġiljan edged out Sliema in an extraordinary contest that lived up to its billing, toppling the champions to claim top spot in the final round of the regular season.
With both teams already assured of the top two positions – and the valuable one-game advantage in the play-off semi-finals – it was pride and positioning that were on the line.
Ultimately, it was San Ġiljan who prevailed, setting up a semi-final clash with Sirens, while Sliema must now prepare for a fiery derby against Neptunes.
The match opened at a frantic pace, with both sides trading early blows.
Aaron Younger struck first for San Ġiljan, only for Elijah Schembri to respond in kind.
The Australian ace quickly restored the Saints’ lead, but Jamie Gambin levelled once more for Sliema with a precise finish during a man-up situation.
Jeremy Abela punished the Blues on the break, but former San Ġiljan player Andreas Galea pegged the Saints back again in a breathless opening session.
The intensity carried into the second quarter.
Ben Plumpton and Schembri exchanged goals before Matthew Zammit tapped in from position six, followed by a delightful bouncing shot from Plumpton to give San Ġiljan their first two-goal cushion.
Daniel Rizzo converted Sliema’s next man-up to keep the pressure on.
But what followed was a ruthless three-goal blitz from San Ġiljan, capped by Younger’s fourth goal and Plumpton’s hat-trick, as the Saints took control.
The shift in momentum visibly rattled the Sliema bench. Coach Giannis Katrouzanakis, incensed by officiating decisions, received two yellow cards in quick succession and was dismissed from the pool deck.
Angelos Vlachopoulos briefly stemmed the tide to make it 10-7, but Jake Bonavia struck twice in rapid succession to stretch San Ġiljan’s lead to 11-7.
Schembri continued to fight, scoring two late goals – the second from near half-pitch – as the teams turned ends at 11-9.
San Ġiljan, however, were relentless.
Bonavia completed his hat-trick, while Younger reached six goals, leaving the Sliema defence reeling.
Despite Vlachopoulos’s best efforts to keep the Blues in the contest, the unstoppable Younger netted his seventh of the night, giving San Ġiljan a 15-11 lead heading into the final session.
Jayden Cutajar converted a man-up to give Sliema a lifeline early in the fourth, but Dino Zammit missed another man-up chance, and Abela punished the error at the other end.
Zammit made amends with a long-range strike, prompting San Ġiljan coach Giorgos Katsaounis to call a timeout with less than three minutes remaining.
Sliema kept pushing. Schembri scored yet again from a man-up, and a well-orchestrated long ball from Benji Busuttil, the Sliema goalkeeper, found Vlachopoulos, who assisted Cutajar to make it 16-15 and set up a nail-biting finish.
With just eight seconds on the clock and five seconds of possession left for Sliema, a technical issue caused the game clock to freeze – creating chaos in the pool.
Despite the confusion, there was still time for one last push. But San Ġiljan keeper Jake Tanti came up clutch, denying Cutajar and preserving the win.
It was a heart-stopping finale to a high-octane match that had the crowd on its feet. The result not only gave San Ġiljan a psychological edge ahead of the playoffs but also sent a clear message – the Saints are serious title contenders.
Earlier, a goal just 20 seconds from time by Alec Fenech spared Neptunes’ blushes in a thrilling encounter.
Missing the services of Stevie Camilleri and with Gergo Zalanki utilised scarcely, Neptunes led throughout the match – until a dramatic final session saw Niki Lanzon’s Exiles mount a remarkable comeback from 11-5 down to level at 11-11.
Veteran David Pace Lupi capped the rally with a brilliant finish from position six, turning past his marker to fire home and complete the comeback.
But just as Exiles looked to have salvaged a draw, Fenech struck late to restore Neptunes’ lead. Moments later, Enrico Mallia sealed the win by beating the buzzer, punishing Exiles’ all-out approach.
While both teams had already secured their final standings – Neptunes in third and Exiles in fifth – pride was still at stake.
Exiles were determined to end the season on a high, while Neptunes coach Alexander Ciric used the opportunity to give more minutes to his fringe players.
Sam Gialanze stood out as the match’s top scorer, netting an impressive seven goals.
EXILES 11
NEPTUNES 13
(2-2, 2-3, 1-6, 6-2)
EXILES: A. Borg Cole, G. Gatt, Z. Micallef, D. Pace Lupi 1, T. Agius, M. Martelacci 1, M. Fenech 2, K. Griscti 1, K. Averka 4, K. Tanti, K. Navarro, D. Zahra 2, G. Galea Curmi, L. Hyzler.
NEPTUNES: M. Castillo, S. Gialanze 7, G. Zalanki, L. Mallia, J. Camilleri, J. Valletta 1, M. Castillo, B. Schranz, J. Bajada, A. Fenech 3, M. Azzopardi 1, M. Rossi, E. Mallia 1.
Refs: A. Barra, R. Spiteri.
SAN ĠILJAN 16
SLIEMA 15
(4-4, 7-5, 4-1, 1-5)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja, D. Tuly, R. Caruana 1, A. Younger 7, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia 2, B. Plumpton 3, J. Abela 2, N. Zammit, D. Zammit, N. Schiavone, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia.
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 5, L. Galea, J. Gambin 1, J. Cassar, B. Cachia, J. Cutajar 2, D. Rizzo 1, J. Brownrigg, A. Galea 1, A. Vlachopouluos 3, D. Zammit 2, B. Busuttil, S. Engerer.
Referees: F. Brasiliano, A. De Raffaele.
MARSASKALA 14
OTTERS 16
(5-3, 5-3, 2-8, 4-2)
MARSASKALA: A. Muscat, D. Ciantar, N. Spiteri, J. Pace Mizzi 1, J. Simpson, R. Greco, M. Agius, G. Kovacs 7, K. Grech, G. Sammut 1, M. Curmi 5, T. Camilleri, L. Gatt, N. Rizzo.
OTTERS: M. Xerri, M. Bonnici, A. Dimech, C.J. Saliba 2, M. Meli, D. Dimech, D. Gogov 9, M. Soler 2, L. Dimech, V. Figliomeni 2, M. Farrugia 1, K. Micallef, Z. Dzanovic, S. Cutajar.
Referees: F. Brasiliano, J. Cauchi.
