SAN ĠILJAN TUM INVEST…………11
NEPTUNES LEO VEGAS……………..4
(3-1), (3-1), (4-1), (1-1)
Another top-notch performance enabled San Ġiljan Tum Invest to demolish their rivals Neptunes Leo Vegas 11-4 in the knock-out semi-final, eliminating the Balluta Bay side's last hopes of winning an honour this season. It was a resounding display by Marko Orlovic’s team as yet again they quickly assured the win, leaving their opponents without options to stop them. Midway through the match, it was all but closed as San Giljan had already opened up an unassailable lead.
All players were stellar, with brilliant set-up passes and powerful finishing, with Aleksandar Ivovic the leader in the pitch. Surely they confirmed their quality and start as heavy favourites to win the final against Sliema or Valletta, who will play each other in the second semi-final on Sunday.
Stevie Camilleri was well marked, sometimes even by youngster Andreas Galea, and managed only one goal. Neptunes couldn’t find a way to pass the defemsive wall built by San Ġiljan and they were erratic in most of their play, failing to finish many of their possession chances with a shot.
Aleksandar Ivovic and Dino Zammit gave San Ġiljan a double lead as they set the pace. Jordan Camilleri scored for Neptunes but soon after, Ivovic made it 3-1. San Ġiljan kept commanding the play, while Neptunes weren’t shooting enough at goal, and it was no surprise that the margin continued to grow.
Peter Borg scored from the centre, Ivovic scored his third of the game with a fierce shot, while Ben Plumpton scored with a typical solo effort from a counter-attack. It was already 6-1 up for the Saints. Miguel Zammit scored the second goal for Neptunes before the end of the second session.
Neptunes were hoping to bridge the gap from their opponents after the interval, but San Ġiljan had other plans as they not only secured the win but started to humiliate their opponents. At one point the score was 10-2, after goals by Paul Fava, Dino Zammit, Joseph Galea and a penalty by Aleksandar Ivovic. There was no way Neptunes could come back from such a deficit, and the Saints supporters were already celebrating their well-earned victory.
(Photos Domenic Aquilina)
The last session was a formality, as San Ġiljan coach Orlovic made use of his fringe players to rotate his team, giving everyone a chance. The match lost its rhythm, but still Neptunes couldn’t exploit their opponents, scoring only once from Blary, while losing Jordan Camilleri for a third foul, and Sean Gravina was shown the red card a few seconds before the end of game. From a penalty, Ivovic rounded up the final score at 11-4; yet another terrific job well done by San Giljan.
San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, P. Borg (1), A. Galea, T. Said, J. Galea (1), M. Zammit, B. Plumpton (1), Da. Zammit, A. Ivovic (5), A. Cousin, P. Fava (1), Di. Zammit (2), T. Micallef
Neptunes: A. Borg Cole, N. Lanzon, T. Agius, K. Erdogan, R. Blary (1), S. Gravina, S. Camilleri (1), J. Camilleri (1), J. Abela, M. Zammit (1), N. Zammit, M. Azzopardi, I. Bugeja
Referees: Peter Balzan, Daniele Bianco
Marsaxlokk one step closer to win the double
MARSAXLOKK FISCHER..............12
MARSASKALA TRANSCRIPTA.....10
(3-1), (2-0), (3-5), (4-4)
Holders Marsaxlokk Fischer became the first finalists of the first division knock-out as they managed to defeat Marsaskala Transcripta 12-10. A game that the result could have gone either way, but Marsaxlokk were slightly better and held on to their early lead to start as favourites to conquer their second consecutive double.
Marsaskala were a tough opponent as they kept fighting for the result till the last second, but their lack of shots in the first part of the game proved to be decisive. During the game, they protested several times for the decisions taken by the referees.
The wind was in favour of Marsaxlokk, and was an asset to them in the first part of the game. They won the first session 3-1 as Mateo Cacici and Brian Buhagiar opened up a two-goal lead after Bonello had partially equalised following Kovacic’s opener. The first division Champions continue to get the better of their opponents and managed to make the score 5-1 with goals coming from veterans Kayne Lanzon and Claudio Spiteri Debarro.
Switching sides after the break meant that now Marsaskala could apply more the pressure in order to save the game. They cut the margin by half with a quick brace by Kyle Navarro, but Marsaxlokk regained their four-goal lead.
Goals continued to be scored as Andrija Vlahovic scored twice for Marsaskala, and had the chance to even reduce the margin to a goal, but he received the a long pass behind him and lost possession. This permitted Marsaxlokk to have another opportunity, in which they scored Kayne Lanzon made it 8-5. Croatian Vlahovic scored his third personal goal with a second to spare to keep his team hoping for a comeback.
Both teams kept going back and forth as Marsaskala were trying to shrink the gap while Marsaxlokk were looking to close the affair. This happened in three occasions as Spiteri Debarro, Kovacic and Buhagiar scored for Marsaxlokk while Marsaskala responded in three consecutive occasions from Busuttil, Navarro and Vlahovic.
Time was running out for Marsaskala and Kyle Navarro scored with 17 seconds left to mark the score 11-10. Since Marsaxlokk had the last possession of the game, Marsaskala were pressing to dispossess their opponents, and after referee Ronnie Spiteri noticed an infringement, and subsequently ordered a penalty, amid the continuous protests of Marsaskala.
As a sign of protest, Marsaskala goalkeeper didn’t even bothered to enter in the post in an act of humiliation, and Zeljko Kovacic scored in an empty net.
Marsaxlokk: A. Xuereb, C. Spiteri Debarro (2), L. Calleja, M. Cacici (2), C. Gialanze, S. Meli, Z. Kovacic (4), B. Buhagiar (2), R. Scerri, K. Lanzon (2), L. Gialanze, R. Bonnici
Marsaskala: K. Schembri, J.C. Cutajar, N. Farrugia, C. Bonello (1), A. Vlahovic (4), L. Grixti, K. Navarro (4), J. Busuttil (1), S. Micallef, M. Agius, D. Cassar, M. Cutajar, B. Muscat
Referees: Ronnie Spiteri, Carlo Iori