Switzerland Malta 8-19
(3-3), (2-3), (1-9), (2-4)
Another win for the Maltese national team as they defeated Switzerland 19-8 to book a place in today’s final of the EU Nations tournament.
The score may suggest that it was an easy match, but it was only in the third session that Malta took the game in its own hands.
All the players played their hearts out, but Matthew Zammit continued to shine with seven goals.
In the first two sessions it was the man-up situations that saved Malta as they scored the five goals from man-ups and a penalty.
Karl Izzo’s team took the advantage from Gabarretta but the Swiss recovered to turn the tables and it was only in the last eight seconds that Malta equalised through Matthew Zammit. The same pattern followed in the second session as Jordan Camilleri first put Malta in the lead before Bjelajac and Muller scored for Switzerland to put their team in front once again.
But this time Malta’s reaction was good enough to finish the session with a brace by Matthew Zammit.
The Maltese players charged their batteries in the break as they fired past Henzi nine times in one session to create a very comfortable lead that decided the game.
Despite the lead, Karl Izzo’s boys continued to control and score as they netted a poker of goals in the last session with goals coming from Ben Plumpton, Matthew and Dino Zammit.
Switzerland: L. Henzi, K. Muller (1), R. Lucato (1), M. Herzog, O. Frohli (2), L. Muller, A. Hermann (1), S. Velikov, J. Herzog, P. Bjelajac (2), L. Damjanov, R. Plejer
Malta: N. Grixti, J. Gabarretta (1), P. Borg, C. Cluett, M. Meli, M. Zammit (7), M. Spiteri Staines, J. Camilleri (3), B. Plumpton (3), A. Cousin (1), M. Rizzo, D. Zammit (4), R. Coleiro
Referees: Michalak Maciej (Poland), Armins Fredrik (Denmark)