Neptunes Vodafone 7
Sirens 2X 10
(3-1, 1-6, 1-2, 2-1)
Sirens refreshed immensely their title hopes and jumped to joint second place with Marsascala, one point behind leaders Sliema, when they managed to produce a fine showing to beat Neptunes with a three goal margin.
Neptunes, who surely were expecting to join rivals Sliema at the top of the standings, had a positive start to the match as they were superior over their opponents in the first session for a 3-1 lead.
However Sirens turned definitely the tables as they were a different lot from the second session onwards adopting an effective zone cover and piling up the goals.
After a stoppage because Neptunes’ Michele Stellini was injured and had to be substituted, the Reds opened the score through a Steve Camilleri conclusion after three minutes and 17 seconds of play.
The St. Paul’s Bay side paid dearly for this miss as they suffered a man-down in the following Neptunes attack and Karl Galea immediately exchanged the ball and did not miss with just Caruana Dingli to beat.
Seventy five seconds form the end of the first session, Sirens opened their score when Neptunes did not return to defend when they claimed a corner and Sirens’ captain Jonathan Valletta broke off clear and slid the ball coolly out of Gouder’s reach.
In the last offence of the session, Neptunes won a Montfort exclusion and David Camilleri once again gave the Balluta side a two-goal lead with a shot that beat Caruana Dingli on the session’s buzzer.
One minute in to the second session it was back to a one-goal game. Valletta stole the ball through experience off Steve Camilleri, with the latter committing subsequently an exclusion foul. As Camilleri was entering back in the pitch, Chris Cauchi managed to find the net through a diagonal shot from the right.
After a turnover on each respective side, Sirens equalised. They had a 4 on 3 break and even won a man-up. Quick passing led to Cauchi scoring his second consecutive goal from close range after a crisp Clint Mercieca assist.
Sirens’ morale was high at this stage and they even took the lead in their next offence through a Karl Montfort powerful shot.
After this lead Sirens never looked back and were in full command of the match, to notch an impressive victory.
Neptunes: N. Gouder, N. Lanzon 2, S. Camilleri 1, K. Galea 1, E. Cachia, J. Brownrigg, S. Gravina, L. Attard, D. Camilleri 1, M. Azzopardi, A. Sammut, M. Stellini 1, M. Pisani 1.
Sirens: J. Caruana Dingli, A. Grech, J. Rizzo Naudi, K. Rizzo naudi 1, C. Cauchi 2, J. Valletta 1, J. Borg, D. Cutajar 1, K. Montfort 1, C. Zammit 3, C. Mercieca 1, R. Attard, N. Cassar.
Refs: L. Ceccharelli, M. Angileri.