Dino Zammit’s late strike sees Sliema past Neptunes as San Ġiljan edge Sirens in thriller

It may not carry the “Beautiful Game” label like football, but waterpolo brings its own brand of raw drama – as Saturday’s gripping clashes between Sirens and San Ġiljan, and derby rivals Sliema and Neptunes, clearly showed.

Saturday’s action-packed fixtures at Tal‑Qroqq delivered a double dose of waterpolo excitement.

In one corner, Sirens put everything on the line against powerhouse San Ġiljan in a gripping encounter; in the other, long-time rivals Sliema and Neptunes engaged in another fierce derby that swung back and forth.

Both matches showcased the sport’s signature blend of intensity, tactical flair, and nail-biting drama – proof that waterpolo has a spectacle all its own.

Saturday’s duel between Sirens and San Ġiljan fitted the bill perfectly.

It had been a truly balanced contest, with the team from St Paul’s Bay only a whisker away from pulling off a shock win.

In a match that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Sirens came agonisingly close to pulling off a shock result against San Ġiljan.

The match swung like a pendulum, and though Sirens eventually fell short, their performance after a heavy defeat to Neptunes deserves plaudits.

It was end-to-end excitement with two missed man-ups from Sirens resulting in the fall off of Ranko Perovic’s side.

The Northenders were left chasing the game early on, undone by a disastrous second session that saw them slip to a 7-2 half-time deficit after initially falling 4-0 behind.

Nicolas Bicari has been pivotal when scoring four goals in the late sessions.

San Ġiljan capitalised through Aaron Younger’s hat-trick, two of which came from five-metre throws.

Nikolai Zammit also netted a vital brace, striking just as Sirens looked to rally from 3-0 down, ending the first session at 3-2.

Zammit’s goals steadied the ship for the Saints, but Sirens roared back in the third session. A blistering 5-1 stretch began with two stunning goals from Kydon Agius, the second of which saw him pirouette past his marker before slotting past goalkeeper Jake Tanti.

The comeback brought the score to 8-7 entering the final quarter.

Bicari’s equaliser made it 8-8 early in the fourth session, setting up a grandstand finish.

Tully and Younger then restored San Ġiljan’s lead – though the latter’s goal came from a debatable penalty – only for Gianni Farrugia to bring Sirens back into contention once again.

In the dying moments, Isaiah Riolo’s powerful effort struck the post, dashing Sirens’ hopes of a famous win.

Having just beaten Neptunes, more was expected from San Ġiljan – but they’ll feel relieved to have escaped with the points.

In the second match, Sliema came out firing in the opening session, racing to a 3-0 lead that reflected their early sharpness.

Liam Galea opened the scoring with a beautifully executed backhand, setting the tone for the Blues.

With his team rattled, Neptunes coach Aleksandar Ćirić called an early time-out in a bid to restore composure – and it paid off.

Neptunes responded immediately, clawing their way back into the match as Stevie Camilleri struck twice early in the second session to swing the momentum and give the Reds a 4-3 lead.

What followed was a tense, end-to-end battle.

Each time Neptunes edged ahead, Sliema found a reply – until Angelos Vlachopoulos fired home to give Sliema a narrow 7-6 advantage at the halfway mark.

The third session continued in the same vein, with Neptunes again chasing the game.

Alec Fenech brought them level at 7-7, but quickfire goals from Galea and Jayden Cassar saw Sliema open up a two-goal cushion.

The Reds, however, refused to back down. Gergo Zalánki and Julian Valletta kept them in touching distance before Jordan Camilleri brought the sides level again at 10-10.

Ben Cachia capitalised on a man-up situation to restore Sliema’s lead at 11-10, but Stevie Camilleri responded instantly.

Then, just before the buzzer, Jordan Camilleri struck once more to give Neptunes a 12-11 lead going into the final quarter.

With just one goal separating the sides, the stage was set for a dramatic final act.

Neptunes extended their lead through Gergo Zalánki.

However, a lightning counter-attack sprung directly from the goalkeeper’s hand allowed Ben Cachia to cut the deficit to 12–13.

Liam Galea then restored parity with a thunderous nine‑metre strike.

The lead swung again when teenage sensation Sam Engerer rose above the pack to make it 14-13 for Sliema.

Neptunes answered through Gialanze, but Sliema were determined not to be denied.

In a dramatic finale, Dino Zammit showcased his composure and technique, lobbing a delicate ball over Marco Rossi as the buzzer sounded.

It was an unforgettable climax to an extraordinary match.

RESULTS

TA’ XBIEX AMIGOS    10

MARSAXLOKK MFF LTD        21

(0-4, 1-6, 5-7, 4-4)

TA’ XBIEX: T. Schembri, J. Farrugia, A. Camenzuli, L. Grech Carr 1, T.J. Mifsud, M. Manara, F. Scardino, R. Pelicaric 6, N. Bonavia, J. Culic 1, Z. Bartolo, A. Formosa, A. Theuma, S. Van Wyk 2.

MARSAXLOKK: M. Farrugia, M. Lanzon 1, N. Bogdanovic 6, A. Aquilina 1, R. Spiteri 2, L. Brownrigg, S. Mifsud, J. Pawley, R. Galea 3, J. Borg Tabone 4, A. Fava 1, A. Cook 3, J. Micallef, B. Lewis.

SIRENS          10

SAN ĠILJAN 11

(2-3, 0-4, 5-1, 3-3)

SIRENS: J. Parnis, P. Serracino, N. Bicari 4, P. Borg 1, J. Cachia 1, K. Agius 2, M. Ortoleva, I. Riolo , J. Zerafa Gregory, M. Sciberras , N. Rafailovic, G. Farrugia 1, M. Bonello Dupius, G. Pace.

SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, D. Bugeja, D. Tully 1, R. Caruana, A. Younger 3, M. Zammit 2, J. Bonavia 1 , B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela 1 , N. Zammit  2, D. Zammit  , N. Schiavone, Z. Attard, G. Bonavia.

Refs : A. Rondoni, R. Spiteri.

NEPTUNES 14

SLIEMA 15

(2-3, 4-4, 6-4,2-3)

NEPTUNES: M. Castillo, S. Gialanze 3, G. Zalanki 3, L. Mallia , J. Camilleri 3, J. Valletta 1, S. Camilleri 3, M.Castillo , B. Schranz, J. Bajada , A. Fenech 1, M. Azzopardi, M. Rossi, E. Mallia.

SLIEMA: N.Grixti, E. Schembri , L. Galea 3, J. Gambin 1, J. Cassar 2, B. Cachia 3, J. Cutajar, D. Rizzo 1, J. Chircop, A. Galea, A. Vlachopulos 2, D. Zammit 2, B. Busuttil, S. Engerer 1

Refs: Marco Piano, Massimo Angilleri.