Neptunes revived their hopes of reaching the final after pulling off a dramatic 13-10 victory over Sliema, drawing the series level at 1-1 and setting up a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday.
The winner of this game will face San Ġiljan in the final, after the latter survived an early scare to see off Sirens.
The match remained a tense, back-and-forth battle until the final session, when Neptunes took full control, outscoring Sliema 4–1 with a blend of tight zone defending and rapid counter-attacks.
Goalkeeper Matthew Castillo was instrumental, producing a series of crucial saves, while Alec Fenech stood out in attack after rediscovering his scoring touch.
For Sliema, this marked a third consecutive defeat, and arguably the most stinging of the lot – a result that now demands serious soul-searching ahead of the winner-takes-all clash.
Neptunes began brightly, taking advantage of a double man-up situation to open the scoring through Sam Gialanze.
Sliema responded quickly, with Jayden Cutajar outwitting Steve Camilleri in position 5 to level the score.
The game then saw its foreign stars take centre stage. Angelos Vlachopoulos netted from a five-metre throw in reply to Gergo Zalánki’s strike.
Ultimately, it was Camilleri who edged the first session in Neptunes’ favour with a decisive goal for a 3-2 lead.
The back-and-forth theme continued in the second quarter.
Elijah Schembri equalised for Sliema before Alec Fenech restored Neptunes’ advantage with a brilliantly executed backhand.
Sliema then went on a three-goal burst – Liam Galea, a spectacular double-fake finish by Vlachopoulos, and Ben Cachia – giving them their first lead at 6–5.
But Neptunes responded before the break, with Jake Bajada drawing level at 6–6.
Sliema edged ahead again early in the third session thanks to Jayden Cassar.
Castillo then kept Neptunes in the contest with a key save on Cutajar, though the Sliema attacker quickly made amends to make it 8–6.
Camilleri stepped up again to bring Neptunes within an individual goal, and Castillo denied Galea with another superb block.
However, from the resulting corner, Castillo could only deflect Dino Zammit’s effort into his own net.
Fenech, in sparkling form from position 1, struck twice in quick succession to bring Neptunes level at 9-9.
A key moment followed as Neptunes launched a counter from a tight defensive zone. Gialanze was fouled by Benji Busuttil, who then redeemed himself by blocking Camilleri’s five-metre attempt.
The fourth session began with another brilliant Castillo stop, this time on Schembri.
Neptunes were again awarded a penalty after a long ball to Gialanze, and this time Zalánki stepped up to bury it for a 10-9 lead.
Castillo’s double save during a man-down situation kept Neptunes ahead before a hotly-contested goal from Camilleri – who squeezed under Busuttil’s arms on the buzzer – gave the Reds breathing room at 11-9.
Julian Valletta then capitalised on a rapid counter-attack to stretch the lead to 12-9.
Sliema coach Giannis Katrouzanakis called a time-out to restore composure, but fortune continued to evade his side as Ben Cachia’s bouncing effort struck the underside of the bar and bounced out.
Valletta added his second soon after to make it 13-9, sealing the win and ensuring the series would go the distance.
Neptunes will now aim to carry this momentum into Wednesday’s decisive third match as Sliema face a critical moment in their campaign.
Earlier, San Ġiljan secured their place in the final after comfortably dispatching Sirens in a one-sided semi-final encounter.
Already trailing in the series as the Saints entered the match with a valuable one-game advantage, Sirens compounded their troubles with a lacklustre showing in the opening two sessions.
The Northenders were virtually absent early on, failing to make any impact as San Ġiljan quickly took control. Sirens only began to show signs of life later in the match, but by then the damage had already been done.
San Ġiljan capitalised early, punishing Sirens for missing their first man-up opportunity. Aaron Younger and Ben Plumpton made no mistake, giving their side a 2–0 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Dean Bugeja extended the lead shortly after the restart, finishing off a well-executed play initiated by Russell Caruana in position 5 and ending with Matthew Zammit threading the ball into the net.
Nicolas Bicari finally sparked a Sirens reaction, but Younger restored the cushion with a goal from a five-metre throw, re-establishing the five-goal gap. Isaiah Riolo pulled one back to make it 5-2.
The third session saw Sirens mount a determined comeback, clawing the score back to 5-4 thanks to a brace from Bicari.
However, Darren Zammit soon added another for San Ġiljan, regaining some breathing room.
Coach Giorgios Katsaounis, visibly frustrated, was heard urging his team: “Wake up from this lethargy – you’re playing a semi-final!”
A pivotal moment came when goalkeeper Jake Tanti pulled off a crucial save from Bicari’s five-metre throw, halting Sirens’ momentum.
Then, just before the buzzer, Nikolai Zammit delivered a brilliant bouncing shot over Sirens goalkeeper Joe Parnis to extinguish any remaining hopes for a comeback.
San Ġiljan opened the fourth session with intent, as Daniel Tully scored twice to widen the gap further.
Now firmly in control, the Saints played with confidence. Plumpton, showing great vision, spotted Jake Bonavia’s movement from position 1. Rather than taking the shot himself, Bonavia cleverly found Nikolai Zammit in position 5, who made no mistake.
Nikolai and Darren Zammit continued to pile on the pressure, extending the lead beyond reach. Jake Cachia grabbed a consolation goal for Sirens, but it was Nico Schiavone who sealed the final scoreline at 13–5.
With this commanding win, San Ġiljan advance to the final, eager to redeem last year’s painful defeat at the hands of Sliema.
SAN ĠILJAN 13
SIRENS 5
(2-0, 3-2, 2-2, 6-1)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja 1, D. Tully 2, R. Caruana, A. Younger 2, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia, B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela, N. Zammit 2, D. Zammit 2, N. Schiavone 2, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia.
SIRENS: J. Parnis, P. Serracino, N. Bicari 3, P. Borg, J. Cachia 1, K. Agius, M. Ortoleva, I. Riolo 1, J. Zerafa Gregory, M. Sciberras, Z. Mizzi, G. Farrugia, M. Bonello Dupius, G. Pace.
Refs: R. Spiteri, P. De Jong.
SLIEMA 10
NEPTUNES 13
(2-3, 4-3, 3-3, 1-4)
SLIEMA: N.Grixti, E. Schembri, L. Galea 1, J. Gambin, J. Cassar 1, B. Cachia, J. Cutajar 2, D. Rizzo, A. Galea, A. Vlachopulos 2, D. Zammit 1, B. Busuttil, J. Chircop, S. Engerer.
NEPTUNES: M. Castillo, S. Gialanze 1, G. Zalanki 2, L. Mallia, J. Camilleri, J. Valletta 2, S. Camilleri 2, M.Castillo, B. Schranz, J. Bajada 1, A. Fenech 4, M. Azzopardi, M. Rossi, E. Mallia.
Refs: D. Bianco, Massimo Angilleri.
