SAN ĠILJAN TUM INVEST...... 16

BIRŻEBBUĠA FREEPORT........ 7

(4-1), (4-2), (1-1), (7-3)

Title contenders San Ġiljan TUM Invest registered their second win as they got the better of Birżebbuġa Freeport in a commanding 16-7 win. The game had a flowing rhythm as San Ġiljan controlled with ease but their opponents were no pushovers and tried their best in their limitations.

San Ġiljan won the first session 4-1. Foreigners Niksa Dobud and Guillermo Molina scored three of the four goals while Dino Zammit scored the second goal for his team. Antonio Petkovic reduced the gap after the fourth goal.

Balint Lorincz made it 4-2 in the second session but Ben Plumpton scored immediately. Petkovic scored for Birżebbuġa from penalty. In the last three and a half minutes San Ġiljan scored three times to finish the session with a comfortable 8-3 advantage.

The game reduced its rhythm after the break as both teams knew their fate while Marko Orlovic rested his key players to give some game time to his young players in the team. The third session finished in a draw as Petkovic responded to Kai Dowling's goal with both goals coming late in the session.

Orlovic needed more from his team and his players responded as they finished the game on a high and scored seven goals across the whole session. The goal by Jake Bonavia was surely the best goal of the game. He advanced and came face to face with Andrew Bugeja (who played instead of the injured Daniel Spiteri) and scored with a brilliant push shot. A total of eight players finished the game amongst the scorers.

San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, B. Grech, A. Galea, N. Dobud (4), G. Molina (4), M. Zammit (2), B. Plumpton (3), K. Dowling (1), T. Said (1), Da. Zammit, P. Fava, Di. Zammit, T. Micallef, J. Bonavia (1), A. Saliba

Birżebbuġa: A. Bugeja, M. Borg, N. Cassar, D. Pace Lupi, C. Mifsud, A. Petkovic (4), S. Vassallo, D. Cutajar (1), J. Bajada, M. Cutajar, B. Lorincz (1), M. Ortoleva, D. Spiteri, R. Spiteri

Referees: Stefan Licari, Luca Bianco

 

OTTERS NIVEA.............. 8

TA' XBIEX AMIGOS....... 12

(3-3), (2-3), (2-4), (1-2)

Ta' Xbiex Amigos earned a precious win that might be pivotal in their quest to finish the season before Otters Nivea. The direct encounters played between teams that will play in the same division will count. Ta' Xbiex were coming from two heavy defeats against better opponents but won when it mattered for them.

Otters had no reaction after the break and didn't recover to at least save a point. Coach Anthony Farrugia is surely disappointed with the performance of the team but also with the refereeing as he felt several times that some decisions went against his team.

Goals by Luke Hyzler and Milos Filipovic cancelled Jacob Saliba's opener and took again the lead from Benjamin Lanzon after Nenad Kacar equalised. David Fenech equalised before the end of the session. Ferenc Salamon and Filipovic gave Otters a double advantage but a brace by Nenad Kacar and a goal by Keith Tanti assured that Ta' Xbiex finished the session 6-5 ahead.

Ta' Xbiex got the break that they needed and stretched their lead to four goals. Otters thought they were back in the game with two goals from veteran Claudio Spiteri Debarro and Edward Meli, until Gareth Blundell gave Ta' Xbiex the much needed three goal advantage.

Otters tried to recover but to no avail as. Ta' Xbiex sealed the win with a goal by David Fenech and after Ferenc Salamon scored for Otters, Kacar made sure that Ta' Xbiex score the last goal of the game.

Otters: M. Xerri, C. Spiteri Debarro (1), F. Salamon (2), L. Hyzler (1), E. Meli (1), M. Lanzon, K. Scicluna, G. Mizzi, A. Mifsud, D. Zahra, B. Lanzon (1), M. Filipovic (2), D. Camilleri

Ta' Xbiex: Z. Sciberras, R. Greco, M. Demarco, N. Schiavone, M. Carani, G. Blundell (1), D. Fenech (2), N. Saliba, N. Kacar (6), G. Sammut, K. Tanti (1), N. Gitto (1), A. Theuma, J. Saliba (1)

Referees: Richard Magri, Riccardo D'Antoni