NEPTUNES VIDEOSLOTS........... 18
BIRŻEBBUĠA FREEPORT............ 9
(5-2), (4-0), (5-3), (4-4)
Neptunes Videoslots started their journey in this Summer League with a win. It was important for Dorian Pisani’s men to not only win but show that they mean business in a season where they are not the clear favourites.
Serbian Filip Filipovic and Montenegrian Aleksandar Ivovic made their debut and they surely didn’t disappoint. Captain Stevie Camilleri and promising youngster Jake Muscat also returned in the team after their season abroad as Neptunes now are in full-force. Birżebbuġa couldn’t do much to stop their opponents.
Neptunes started with three consecutive goals from Muscat, Ivovic and Mark Castillo to set the pace. Darko Brguljan responded for Birżebbuġa, Filipovic opened his account for Neptunes, Malcolm Manara reduced the margin but Ivovic made it 5-2. In the second session, Neptunes practically made sure of the win with four consecutive goals by Stevie Camilleri, Muscat, Ivovic and Sam Gialanze to finish the session 9-2.
Despite securing themselves the win, Neptunes continued to dictate play despite not being as sharp as they were. A brace by Stevie Camilleri and goals from Filipovic and Ivovic continued to enlarge the gap. Birżebbuġa managed to regain some composure to try and level their opponents. A similar situation happened in the last session as Neptunes scored four times in the first half of the session while Birżebbuġa found the net three times to avoid a larger defeat.
Neptunes: A. Borg Cole, J. Muscat (2), S. Gialanze (1), G. Pace (2), M. Castillo (1), J. Bajada, S. Camilleri (4), J. Camilleri, A. Ivovic (4), F. Filipovic (3), A. Fenech, E. Mallia (1), M. Rossi, D. Bugeja, A. Fava
Birżebbuġa: M. Sladden, P. Borg (1), N. Cassar, B. Grech, D. Brguljan (2), M. Manara (1), R. Spiteri, D. Cutajar, B. Erdelyi (1), K. Tanti (3), G. Mannino (1), M. Curmi, C. Borg, J. Sciberras, D. Farrugia
Referees: Massimo Angileri, Antonio Torneo
TA’ XBIEX AMIGOS.................... 10
VALLETTA IZIBET....................... 17
(2-5), (2-3), (3-6), (3-3)
Valletta Izibet continued to build on the win in the Malta Sports Journalist Cup. Defeating Ta’ Xbiex Amigos meant that they are two wins away in their quest to confirm Premier Division status. Valletta deserved the win and all in all they had a positive performance. Ta’ Xbiex only showed shades of what they can achieve and I believe that they can have better performances if they show their potential.
Kristijan Milakovic put Ta’ Xbiex in front until Valletta reacted and took a 4-1 lead with goals coming from a brace by Ivan Nagaev, Stephen Micallef and Andrija Vlahovic. Valletta’s lead stretched to 8-2 in the second session after three consecutive goals thanks to their foreigners.
Ta’ Xbiex managed to stay in the game with a brace from Uros Vasic and a goal in the beginning of the third session by Ryan Mock to cut the deficit to 8-5. That was only until Valletta regained their composure, scored four consecutive goals and made sure of the win with a commanding 13-6 advantage.
The game had another meaning in the last session. The only consolation for Ta’ Xbiex was that they managed to draw the session and not letting their opponents to win by a bigger margin.
Ta’ Xbiex: M. Vassallo, N. Schiavone (1), L. Montebello Brownrigg, L. Grech Carr, K. Grech, R. Mock (1), J. Saliba, K. Milakovic (2), U. Vasic (3), J. Culic, Z. Bartolo, J. Farrugia, G. Galea Curmi, M. Ortoleva (3), K. Agius
Valletta: B. Busuttil, J. Spiteri Staines, D. Rizzo (1), J. Cassar (1), S. Busuttil, A. Vlahovic (4), D. Paolella, I. Nagaev (7), S. Micallef (2), J. Chircop (1), K. Borg (1), K. Cremona, A. Theuma, M. Demarco
Referees: Ronnie Spiteri, Arnaldo Petronilli
BARRACUDAS............................ 11
SAN ĠILJAN JP PROJECTS........... 22
(1-3), (2-3), (3-10), (5-6)
San Ġiljan JP Projects did as expected. They won the three points without difficulty and also without giving their best performance. They even had the luxury of leaving out both foreigners namely Aaron Younger and Maro Jokovic while also substitute goalkeeper Gianluca Borg had minutes in goal apart from the usual rotation.
Ironically Barracudas opened the score with an early goal from Ivan Gusarov but San Ġiljan soon took control of the game. Jake Bonavia, Nikolai Zammit and Jeremy Abela all scored to give San Ġiljan a 3-1 lead at the end of the first session.
The lead stretched to 6-1 in the second session through goals by youngsters Kelvin Calleja and Gabriel Bonavia alongside a goal by captain Matthew Zammit. Barracudas were able to at least partially stop the momentum as both foreigners scored.
But San Ġiljan switched gears in the third session and made sure that the difference between both teams is evident. They scored no less than ten goals in the session, four of them in the first three minutes. Matthew Zammit scored four, Nikolai Zammit scored a hat-trick, a brace was scored by Darren Zammit while Nicholas Bugelli scored the other goal.
The last session was free for all as both teams scored no less than eleven goals between them. Youngster Russell Caruana shined with a hat-trick while the five goals of Ta’ Xbiex arrived from five different players.
Barracudas: I. Schembri, N. Majstorovic (1), A. Magri (2), P. Micallef, D. Ciantar, R. Sciortino, I. Gusarov (4), R. Latinovic (2), L. Paris Roding, S. Apap, A. Mifsud (1), T.J. Mifsud (1), M. Borg, S. Debono Grech, W. Ruggier
San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, N. Bugelli (2), A. Galea, B. Plumpton, R. Caruana (3), M. Zammit (4), J. Bonavia (1), K. Calleja (1), J. Abela (3), N. Zammit (4), D. Zammit (2), S. Cutajar, G. Borg, G. Bonavia (1), N. Bonavia (1)
Referees: Antonio Torneo, Neville Mercieca