Marsaxlokk: R. Debono, M. Licari, C. Mamo (C. Camilleri), G. Sciberras, B. Said, K. Sammut, P. Pullicino, J. Alcorse (D. Kokavessis), W. Camenzuli, M. Pereira, C. Cassar

Sliema W: H. Bonello, A. Muscat, I. Azzopardi, N. Turner, J. Chetcuti, I. Woods, L. Dronca, V. Coto (M. Bartolo), I. Ciantar, R. Bajada, S. Furfaro (B. Nisevic)

Referee: M. Borg asst.refs: I. Spiteri, C. Micallef 4th official: P. Caruana

Scorers: A. Muscat, D. Kokavessis

Yellow cards: J. Alcorse, D. Kokavessis, M. Licari

Marsaxlokk’s last penalty taker, Kevin Sammut, skied the ball when taking the final kick to hand Sliema Wanderers a place in the U*BET FA Trophy after a prolonged stalemate between two evenly balanced teams that had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Sliema will now play Valletta in next May’s final.

This semi-final was of patchy quality, littered with misplaced passes, poor delivery and lacking precision from both ends.

Marsaxlokk took into the match shrouded in allegations of corruption after their team manager and one of their players admitted to bribery attempts in court earlier in the week. But their performance did not seem to be hindered by these news although in all fairness it was not one of their best this season.

Sliema looked equally unimaginative and lacked sharpness up front despite the inclusion of Ivan Woods, who passed a late fitness test. Sterility prevailed for most of the 120 playing minutes. Late in normal time, Alex Muscat broke the deadlock for Sliema but only four minutes later, substitute Dylan Kokavessis’ headed goal cancelled that lead to stretch the match into extra time.

Both sides created half chances in a dire first half, but none managed to tilt the balance in their favour. It took almost 12 minutes for one side to put the first effort towards goal. Muscat’s low diagonal shot on Woods’ pass went narrowly wide for Sliema and soon after Woods headed the ball inside the area before keeper Debono could reach for it but defender Camenzuli was well placed to clear.

Midway through the half, Alcorse headed Sammut’s cross over the bar and after a Bajada free kick for Sliema sailed just over the Marsaxlokk goal, Alcorse lofted the ball on Pereira’s testing cross from the left.

On the half hour the Sliema keeper Bonello was called to effect the most difficult save of the half, turning into a corner a Pullicino shot following a Cassar cross from the right.

Unfortunately, the pattern in the second half did not change much. Marsaxlokk showed some more urgency upon resumption as Pereira volleyed the ball wide and then placed his shot off target on Pullicino’s pass. But Sliema looked menacing past the hour when Turner played the ball to Bajada inside the area to roll it towards Woods who was blocked by the keeper on the first attempt and then shot the loose ball wide.

The match burst to life in the last 12 minutes with two goals, one on each side. On 78 minutes, Sliema Wanderers forged ahead when Alex Muscat beat keeper Debono from inside the area after picking up Nisevic’s short pass.

Only four minutes later, substitute Dylan Kokavessis, who had been on the pitch for hardly ten minutes, headed in Cassar’s cross to level matters.

Marsaxlokk even pressed hard for a late winner and went close with a Pullicino effort, denied by Bonello’s superb save into a corner and a Sciberras rasping shot which ended narrowly wide.

Marsaxlokk again fluffed a good chance in the first half of extra time when Sciberras, put through by Cassar, skied the ball in front of the Sliema goal.

Not surprisingly the tie had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. Dronca, Turner, Bajada and Chetcuti all scored for Sliema with keeper Debono saving Woods’ spot kick. For Marsaxlokk, Licari, Kokavessis and Camenzuli had converted their penalties, while Pereira’s shot was saved by keeper Bonello, before Sammut missed the final and decisive kick.