Sliema’s season came to a disappointing close on Saturday as they were knocked out of the Knock-Out competition, bringing an end to their summer campaign without silverware.
Last year’s double winners will be left reflecting on a season that began with promise but ended in frustration.
After a dream start – reaching the semi-finals of the LEN Challenger Cup and lifting the ENEMED Cup – expectations were high that Sliema would maintain their momentum. However, their form faltered when it mattered most.
In contrast, Neptunes continued to show steady progress, sealing a fourth consecutive victory over their arch-rivals – a statement win that further underlines their growing confidence heading into the final stages of the season.
Neptunes carried the momentum from last Wednesday’s dramatic play-off series into their clash, quickly establishing a two-goal lead through Gergo Zalanki and Stevie Camilleri.
Elijah Schembri sought to rally Sliema, but their efforts were blunted by a spectacular one-handed save from Matthew Castillo on Jayden Cassar’s attempt.
Neptunes then took full control with two expertly executed plays. First, Camilleri struck clinically from position six, and moments later, Zalanki wrong-footed the Sliema defence with a clever pass to Jake Bajada instead of shooting himself, extending the lead to 4-1.
Andreas Galea offered a glimmer of hope for the Blues, showing composure with a delicate lob over Castillo to signal that Sliema were not ready to fold just yet.
Another spectacular fingertip save by Matthew Castillo denied Sliema a goal from the underside of the crossbar, moments before Alec Fenech extended Neptunes’ lead to 5-2.
Jayden Cassar responded swiftly, narrowing the gap to keep the Blues within reach.
Neptunes missed an opportunity to capitalise on a contra-foul, allowing Sliema to reset defensively.
But soon after, Sam Gialanze added a sixth for Neptunes with a delicate lob. Yet Sliema’s resilience persisted, as youngster Jayden Cutajar found the net to keep their hopes alive.
Gergo Zalanki then fired a powerful left-handed shot that was too much for Nicky Grixti to handle.
Grixti had denied Camilleri from the penalty spot twice in Wednesday’s encounter, but this time the Neptunes captain made no mistake from five metres out.
Liam Galea gave Sliema a lifeline at 8-5, as the Blues’ promising young talents continued to carry the fight.
Angelos Vlachopoulos made his presence felt with a superb bouncing shot to make it 9-7, but that goal seemed to spur Sliema further.
Cassar struck again to bring the score to 9-8 as both sides headed into the break in a tightly contested battle.
The Blues started to flex their muscle at the start of the third session.
Jayden Cassar completed his hat-trick to bring Sliema level at 9-9, before Jayden Cutajar fired them ahead for the first time in the match.
However, Neptunes skipper Stevie Camilleri responded with composure, converting a five-metre throw to restore parity.
Cassar came close to reclaiming the lead for Sliema, but his effort from position one struck the post after Mathias Azzopardi lost possession in a crowded goalmouth.
With just 1:07 remaining in the quarter, Gergo Zalanki rose majestically above the water and unleashed a thunderous strike past Grixti, nudging Neptunes back in front.
With Neptunes holding a narrow 11-10 lead at the start of the fourth session, the game remained finely poised. Sam Gialanze widened the gap with a deflected shot.
Controversy followed when Neptunes protested vigorously after Julian Valletta appeared to be impeded by goalkeeper Nicky Grixti. The brief lapse in concentration proved costly, as Liam Galea capitalised to pull one back for Sliema.
But there was no stopping Zalanki. In top form, the Hungarian ace showed clinical precision, leaving himself almost no margin of error in getting the ball in between Grixti and the post with barely an inch to spare.
Neptunes’ disciplined defensive effort also told: they had conceded just six man-up situations by that stage.
In contrast, Sliema were feeling the strain, having already lost Elijah Schembri and Matthew Zammit to three personal fouls apiece. Cutajar made it 13-12 from a penalty throw.
But Neptunes immediately re-established the two goal cushion needless to say with Zalanki. Fenech assured Neptunes of victory and the passage to the semi-final.
Galea and Vlachopulous to score to put a nervy finale to the match. But Cutajar’s final shot was blocked by Castillo for a final 15-14 score.
Earlier on, a decisive third-session surge, in which San Ġiljan outscored Valletta 4-1, proved pivotal in securing a hard-fought 14-12 victory and a place in the semi-finals against Sirens. Ż
Despite a spirited and tactically astute performance – arguably their best of the season – Valletta ultimately lacked the composure and endurance to convert their early dominance into victory.
As expected, San Ġiljan struck first through Jeremy Abela.
But Valletta responded with purpose, stunning their opponents by taking a 3-1 lead thanks to a brace from Ivan Nagaev. Aaron Younger reduced the gap with a five-metre strike, only for Nagaev to restore the two-goal cushion.
Despite heavy marking, Younger showed his class, evading his marker with a deft underwater swivel and beating Andrew Bugeja with a cheeky lob.
Kieyan Borg then capitalised on a man-up situation to make it 5-3.
San Ġiljan replied through Matthew Zammit, who was expertly fed by Nico Schiavone from position one. Yet Valletta remained composed, and Jacob Sciberras drove in a powerful shot for 6-4.
Schiavone, now operating from the opposite flank, continued to impress, setting up Younger for a tidy finish to make it 6-5. But Valletta’s talisman Nagaev struck again to ensure his side took a two-goal lead into the interval.
Ben Plumpton scored as San Ġiljan began to find their rhythm.
An intricate attacking sequence was coolly finished by Daniel Tully for 7-7. Still, Valletta weren’t done – Matthew Mifsud beat Jake Tanti one-on-one to restore their lead.
But it was short-lived, as Younger responded immediately before Abela netted five seconds from the end of the third session to give San Ġiljan the lead for the first time.
With momentum firmly on their side, San Ġiljan shifted gears in the final quarter.
Nikolai Zammit made it 10-8, before Schiavone and Zammit again widened the gap. Younger then notched his fifth of the afternoon to put daylight between the two sides.
Valletta showed resilience – Nagaev delivered a superb pass to Mifsud to make it 13-9, but Russell Caruana added his name to the scoresheet. Kieyan Borg and Ken Erdogan clawed Valletta back to within two, while Nagaev continued to push and made it 14-12.
Despite calling two time-outs in the final minute, Valletta couldn’t breach San Ġiljan’s defence again.
At the final whistle, the Saints breathed a sigh of relief, securing a semi-final clash with Sirens after a match that tested their credentials.
SAN ĠILJAN 14
VALLETTA 12
(2-3, 3-4, 4-1, 5-4)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja, D. Tully 1, R. Caruana 1, A. Younger 5, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia, B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela 2, N. Zammit 2, D. Zammit, N. Schiavone 1, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia.
VALLETTA: A. Bugeja, M. Mifsud 3, M. Carani, J. Sciberras 1, S. Busuttil, J. Colombo, M. Zammit, I. Nagaev 4, K. Borg 2, K. Erdogan 1, M. Chircop, K. Cremona, G. Borg.
Refs: P. De Jong, R. Spiteri.
NEPTUNES 15
SLIEMA 14
(4-2, 5-6, 2-2, 4-4)
NEPTUNES: Matthew Castillo, S. Gialanze 3, G. Zalanki 5, L. Mallia, J. Camilleri, J. Valletta, S. Camilleri 4, Mark Castillo, B. Schranz, J. Bajada 1, A. Fenech 2, M. Azzopardi, M. Rossi, E. Mallia.
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 1, L. Galea 3, J. Gambin, J. Cassar 3, B. Cachia, J. Cutajar 3, J. Brownrigg, A. Galea 1, A. Vlachopulos 2, D. Zammit, B. Busuttil, J. Chircop, S. Engerer 1.
Refs F. Ricciotti, M. Angilleri.
