Champions Neptunes and their eternal rivals Sliema are poised to meet again next Sunday in the final showdown of the season.

With the KO semi-finals being played between today and tomorrow, Sliema are firm favourites to beat San Giljan while Neptunes should likewise defeat Sirens to gain entry into the Sunday final.

Both matches, at the Tal-Qroqq national pool, start at 6.45pm

Also today, at 5.30pm, Marsascala 7-Up and Marsaxlokk Freeport meet in the Division II KO semi-final. The winner will be meeting Ta’ Xbiex Mermaids Paradise in the final to be played on Sunday.

Programme

Today

5.30 pm Div II KO S/F Marsascala-Marsaxlokk

6.45 pm Div I KO S/F Sliema-San Giljan

Tomorrow

6.45 pm Div I KO S/F Neptunes-Sirens

* * *

Div II KO

Ta’ Xbiex Mermaids Paradise 16

Exiles Pender Gardens 14

(after extra time and penalties)

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

A marathon game, which had to be finally decided by penalties, finally gave Ta’ Xbiex the right to a place in next Sunday’s final.

Four periods of eight minutes effective play were not enough as the two sides ended at par, 10-10. Two extra sessions of three minutes each resulted in two goals on each respective side. Thus penalties were needed and while Ta’ Xbiex netted four in a row, Exiles missed two and this meant that Aldo Scerri’s side made it to the final.

It is a fitting reward for Ta’ Xbiex who have improved in their performances after quite a dismal start but then, turning to Exiles, this was a great disillusion for the Sliema-based side as their season came to an early close added with even losing the championship in the last game.

The two sides balanced each other out in the first two sessions with Exiles going 5-4 ahead midway into the game with Aurelien Cousin striking a hat-trick.

Exiles’ lead increased to 8-5 after a John Paris brace and a Timmy Sullivan man-up goal. However veterans Peter Paolella, Marco Manara and Roman Polacik led Ta’ Xbiex’s comeback for a 9-9 score four minutes from the end.

Polacik also gave Ta’ Xbiex the lead but Joseph Cremona equalised to send the game to extra time.

Polacik again put Ta’ Xbiex ahead but Paris and Karl Rizzo Naudi overturned the score to 12-11. Yet it was again Polacik who scored for Ta ‘Xbiex 10 seconds from time. No goals were netted, even if Exiles had a Vella man-up.

It was thus penalty time and Polacik, Manara, Paolella and Jason Vella scored for Ta’ Xbiex while Cousin and Martin Calleja did likewise for Exiles but Paris and David Pace Lupi missed the target.

Ta’ Xbiex: A. Bianchi, A. Tanti, M. Manara 2, C. D’Ugo, K. Sciortino, M. Camilleri, R. Polacik 7, P. Paolella 3, K. Engerer 1, C. Sciortino, J. Vella 3, D. Pisani.

Exiles: N. Imbroll, K. Rizzo Naudi 1, M. Zarb, D. Pace Lupi 1, T. Sullivan 1, G. Desira Buttigieg, J. Paris 3, J. Cremona 1, S. Cini, A. Cousin 5, A. Arrigo 1, S. Vassallo, M. Calleja 1.

Refs: A. Deraffaele, M. Caruana.

* * *

Marsaxlokk Freeport 20

Otters ASC 6

(4-1, 7-1, 6-1, 3-3)

Marsaxlokk progressed to the next phase in the KO competition with an easy win over Gozitan side Otters, the latter now closing their seasonal commitments.

The score indicates clearly the difference between the two sides with M’Xlokk’s foreign import, Sergey Frolov, having a field day against Otters, this time netting ten goals just a few days after he hit 11 against the same opposition in the last league game.

Frolov netted three goals by the fourth minute and led his side to a 4-1 first session lead that was the start of Marsaxlokk’s good run.

The southerners, who had to without their coach Anthony Farrugia who is away with the junior national team side which is preparing for the forthcoming European Junior Championships, then made sure of victory as they moved to a very comfortable 11-2 lead before the two sides shifted ends.

The match was now practically won and lost and the last two sessions were a mere formality with M’Xlokk dominating the third again at ease but then Otters managed to share the last session 3-3 with goals from Simon Cutajar and Stefan Grech.

M’Xlokk: R. Bonnici, G. Attard, R. Calleja, A. Farrugia 1, K. Farrugia, C. Bugeja 2, E. Pisani 2, D. Schembri 1, S. Frolov 10, K. Grima Scott 1, G. Ghirxi 1, N. Agius 2, A. Sammut.

Otters: E. Farrugia, D. Saliba, G. Zammit, S. Grech 3, S. Cutajar 1, D. Saliba, P. Saliba, G. Xuereb, L. Cachia 1, C. Saliba, T. Simon 1, K. Scicluna, S. Xerri.

Refs: I. Sciriha, R. Spiteri.