SIRENS GREENTUBE.............. 9
SLIEMA FRANK SALT............ 14
(0-3), (4-2), (3-4), (2-5)
After Saturday's win against Neptunes, Sirens Greentube started the game as favourites but Sliema had the game in hand from the start and were always in the lead, despite Sirens' efforts to recover from a slow start.
Sirens didn't had a disastrous performance but were simply not good enough against a stubborn Sliema side that were compact in defence and cautious in their play not to let Sirens counter. Gavril Subotic was their main scorer in the match, three points that can give a different dimension to their season.
Sliema took an early lead 3-0 lead after a goal by their centre Jerome Gabarretta and a brace by Subotic. Sirens recovered in the second session and cut the deficit to just a goal. Paul Privitera, Isaiah Riolo, Christian Presciutti and Valentino Gallo scored for Sirens while Gabarretta and Nicholas Bugelli found the net for Sliema.
Sirens kept chasing the game in the third session but to no avail as Sliema kept their lead. Subotic made it 6-4, Gallo and Presciutti reduced the gap to one goal on three occasions but Subotic kept his team two goals in front before the last session.
Presciutti made another attempt to keep his team in the game but Sirens had no response for the four consecutive goals by Sliema as Subotic scored even after the goal by Gallo to finish the game with seven goals.
Sirens: N. Grixti, J. Zerafa Gregory, C. Presciutti (4), P. Privitera (1), M. Grech, J. Brownrigg, I. Riolo (1), V. Gallo (3), J. Napier, E. Aquilina, L. Caruana, M. Sciberras, O. Gauci, Z. Bartolo, G. Melillo
Sliema: J. Parnis, J. Gabarretta (2), G. Subotic (6), J. Sciberras, M. Meli, N. Hoznyansky, M. Spiteri Staines (1), L. Galea, B. Cachia (1), J. Gambin, Z. Mizzi (1), N. Bugelli (2), M. Vassallo, K. Borg, J. Cachia
Referees: Massimo Angileri, Giuseppe Fusco
SAN ĠILJAN TUM INVEST............. 18
MARSAXLOKK BROWN'S.............. 12
(4-2), (5-5), (3-3), (6-2)
Marsaxlokk Brown's Pharmacy proved to be tougher than expected but after all the final result is still the only thing that counts. That is probably the reasoning of those involved in San Ġiljan. They weren't at their best but still grabbed three important points that put them on top.
San Ġiljan took some time to score their first goal and once they did, some thought it would be a one-way game. But Marsaxlokk were resilient at most of the time. They lost the first session 4-2 but found a way to recover and went back and forth with their opponents in the second session, leaving the gap to only two goals by the end of the session.
San Ġiljan were 12-8 in the third session but Marsaxlokk again found a way to keep hoping for an upset after goals by Matthew Pace and Andrija Vlahovic who had a positive game. Matthew Zammit had a quiet game but he showed up when needed, scoring a penalty and another goal right after to kill the game.
They controlled their advantage in the latter stages of the game as they widened the gap to six goals, a lead that they conserved till the end. This result proved that Marsaxlokk can be an opposition to the other Premier teams, if they can repeat this type of performance.
San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, B. Grech, A. Galea (3), N. Dobud (5), G. Molina (2), M. Zammit (3), B. Plumpton, K. Dowling (1), T. Said, Da. Zammit, P. Fava (1), Di. Zammit (2), T. Micallef, J. Bonavia (1), Z. Micallef
Marsaxlokk: R. Coleiro, J. Rizzo Naudi (1), L. Calleja, M. Martellacci, T. Agius (3), J. Galea, A. Vlahovic (4), I. Nagaev (2), S. Micallef (1), R. Scerri, M. Cacici, O. Zammit, L. Saliba, M. Pace (1), K. Galea
Referees: Neville Mercieca, Gianluca Centineo
MARSASKALA FISH AND FISH...... 17
VALLETTA VIDEOSLOTS............... 14
(4-3), (2-4), (4-3), (6-4)
Marsaskala Fish and Fish won their first match of the season while they inflicted the first defeat in the First Division for Valletta Videoslots. Konstantin Averka was the hero for Dorian Pisani's team netting no less than seven goals. Valletta were erratic in their play and showed signs of weakness as they failed to react in key moments of the game.
Valletta had a double advantage in the first session thanks to goals by Sasa Misic and James Spiteri Staines but Marsaskala still managed to finish the first session ahead. Averka scored a hat-trick in the process.
Bogdan Rath's team equalised and took a two-goal lead after goals by Dmitri Kholod but Ayrton Camenzuli pulled one back before the end of the session.
The game was well balanced and Valletta didn't show their superiority. Marsaskala equalised three times and even went two goals ahead and Kholod reduced the gap to a goal. Valletta equalised twice in the last session but had no response to three consecutive goals by Marsaskala as they snatched a win that looked a bit improbable.
Marsaskala: J. Micallef, J.C. Cutajar, A. Camenzuli (2), M. Manara, M. Aquilina, L. Grixti (1), K. Navarro, K. Milakovic (3), K. Averka (7), J. Culic, R. Attard (3), D. Borg Millo (1), M. Borg
Valletta: R. Sciortino, J. Spiteri Staines (3), A. Agius, P. Borg, C. Zammit, R. Mock, D. Paolella, M. Mifsud (3), M. Cordina (1), M. Zammit, D. Kholod (5), N. Farrugia, R. Bonnici, S. Misic (2)
Referees: Ronnie Spiteri, Gianluca Centineo
Premier KO
Sunday 21st July
San Ġiljan v Neptunes
Saturday 3rd August
Sirens v Exiles
Friday 9th August
Sirens/Exiles v Sliema
S. Ġiljan/Neptunes v M'xlokk
First Division KO
Saturday 3rd August
Ta' Xbiex v Marsaskala
Saturday 10th August
T. Xbiex/M'skala v Otters
Birżebbuġa v Valletta
Women KO
Friday 2nd August
San Ġiljan v Birżebbuġa
Sirens v Marsaskala
Wednesday 14th August
S. Ġiljan/B'buġa v Sliema
Sirens/M'skala v Exiles