Sliema McDonalds 10

Sirens Hard Rock Cafe’ 8

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

A 4-0 run inside six minutes in between the end of the third session and the start of the final session paved the way to Sliema’s sixth consecutive win which makes them the only side without a defeat in this Summer campaign.

There was little to separate the two sides until the end of the third session with Sliema having the first lead and Sirens springing ahead twice in the third session.

Hungarian Tamas Varga put Sliema in the lead in the second minute with a powerful shot on a Montfort exclusion. Four minutes later Sliema were handed a gift when Paul Fava entered the pitch illegally and a penalty was awarded to the Blues. John Soler did not miss, despite Grech’s partial touch of the ball.

Twenty seconds later Sirens opened their account when Karl Montfort beat Josie Cachia, the latter having another very good game.

In the last minute of the first session Soler made it 3-1 off a Rizzo cross pass on a Privitera exclusion but Sirens replied half a minute later when, with Cutajar excluded, Paul Fava made it 3-2.

The second session commenced with a beautiful bounce shot by Michael Rizzo, possibly the hero for Sliema in yesterday’s match, but Sirens gradually pulled back and managed to bring the score to 4-4 after Clint Mercieca scored on a Rizzo man-up and then Zsolt Varga scored an absolute beauty with a back-hand off the crossbar.

Although Sliema regained the lead with Soler’s third goal, this time on Privitera’s second exclusion, Sirens closed the session at 5-5 when David Cutajar scored with a delicate lob.

The lead went Sirens’ way twice in the third session. Clint Mercieca was quick to pounce on a rebound to make it 6-5. Rizzo scored on a Montfort exclusion two minutes later but Julian Rizzo Naudi put Sirens 7-6 ahead with a powerful shot.

Sliema’s influential 4-0 run started a minute from the session’s end when on a J. Rizzo Naudi man-up, Daniel Paolella, despite being underwater, managed to push the ball over the line on a rebound after a Grech save.

Two minutes into the last session, Edward Aquilina scored with a low back-hand shot from the centre and 40 seconds later John Soler made it 9-7.

The game was practically decided when Rizzo scored a scorcher with a 10 metre bounce shot three minutes from the end.

Paul Privitera tied to install fresh hope in the Sirens clan with a goal on an Aquilina man-up but Sliema held strong to register an important victory after their marginal win over rivals Neptunes a week ago.

Sliema: J. Cachia, C. Gialanze, E. Aquilina 1, M. Rizzo 3, M. Meli, J. Soler 4, T. Varga 1, J. Valletta, C. Debono, F. Cutajar, D. Paolella 1, A. Bianchi, R. Coleiro.

Sirens: A. Grech, P. Fava 1, K. Rizzo Naudi, P. Privitera 1, J. Rizzo Naudi 1, T. Debono, J. Borg, D. Cutajar 1, K. Montfort 1, C. Zammit, C. Mercieca 2, Z. Varga 1, E. Arrigo.

Refs: P. Balzan, A. Deraffaele.

Marsascala 7 Up 12

Marsaxlokk F 7

(3-2, 2-0, 3-2, 54-3)

The first session had five goals, all scored by the respective foreign imports, Fabio Valenti (Marsascala) and Sergey Frolov (Marsaxlokk).

Marsaxlokk twice had a marginal lead after Frolov opened the score from a penalty then replied to Valenti’s immediate equaliser.

Valenti made it 2-2 on a Ghirxi exclusion and then gave the first lead to Marsascala on a penalty.

The first ‘local’ goal came early in the second session when Darren Ciappara scored with on a Ghirxi man-up.

Marsascala increased their lead to 5-2 when Ryan Cutajar scored from the left side on a K. Farrugia man-up.

Early in the third session, Frolov put back fresh hope when he scored a second penalty but then Marsaxlokk missed on a 5 v 4 break, with A. Farrugia shooting high, with Marsascala breaking away and Stephen Micallef coolly slotting the ball behind Rueben Bonnici.

Two consecutive Valenti goals in the sixth minute increased Marsascala’s lead to 8-3. Seconds from the session’s end, Frolov scored another goal with a superb 7 metre shot.

Jean Claude Cutajar broke clear on the right and scored in the third minute of the last session.Three minutes from time Neil Agius scored Marsaxlokk’s first ‘local’ goal and a minute later Duncan Schembri made it a 9-6 on a Valenti man-up.

A tit-for-tat ensued in the next 40 seconds with Valenti grabbing his double hat-trick and Ramon Calleja scoring on the opposite end.

The game closed with two further goals from Marsascala through Stephen Farrugia and Ciappara.

Marsascala: I. Bugeja, J. Cutajar 1, S. Farrugia 1, A. Galea, M. Borg Spiteri, L. Grixti, F. Valenti 6, K. Enriquez, S. Micallef 1, R. Cutajar 1, D. Cassar, M. Spiteri, D. Ciappara 2.

M’Xlokk: R. Bonnici, G. Attard, R. Calleja 1, A. Farrugia, K. Farrugia, C. Bugeja, E. Pisani, D. Schembri 1, S. Frolov 4, K. Grima Scott, G. Ghirxi, N. Agius 1, A. Sammut.

Refs: M. Dalli, M. Caruana