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Neptunes prevail over Sliema
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Title race enters decisive stage
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Waterpolo
Upcoming BOV League fixtures at the National Pool, Tal-Qroqq:
Playing today
First Division: 18.15 Marsascala vs Ta’ Xbiex; 19.30 Otters vs Marsaxlokk.
Tomorrow
Premier Division (relegation pool 19.00 Valletta vs Exiles.
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Marsascala edge Ta’ Xbiex
Otters 8Marsaxlokk 21
(2-6, 2-3, 3-6, 1-6)
Otters: R. Bonnici, M. Borg Millo, B. Grech, L. Hyzler 2, K. Scicluna, D. Dimech, G. Mizzi, M. Jelaca 2, S. Dimech 2, G. Debono 2, R. Gauci, M. Cacici, M. Xerri
Marsaxlokk: A. Xuereb, C. Spiteri Debarro 1, L. Calleja 1, K. Galea 6, C. Gialanze, C. Bugeja, G. Busuttil 2, I. Vuksanovic 5, B. Buhagiar 2, R. Scerri 4, K. Navarro, K. Debattista, D. Abela.
Referees: Ronnie Spiteri, Antonio Guarracino.
Marsascala 14Ta’ Xbiex Amigos 13
(4-2, 3-5, 2-2, 5-4)
Marsascala: K. Schembri, J.C. Cutajar 2, J. Busuttil, C. Bonello 4, L. Grixti 2, G. Kovacs 2, J. Cremona 1, S. Micallef, M. Pace 2, D. Cassar 1, O. Zammit, B. Dougall.
Ta’ Xbiex: J. Micallef, A. Maklari 4, A. Camenzuli 1, B. Grech 2, E. Meli, K. Mock, M. Mifsud 2, J. Zerafa Gregory 1, G. Attard, D. Fenech 3, R. Attard, M. Camilleri, J. Tanti.
Referees: Peter Balzan, Massimo Calabro.
Playing todayPremier Division (relegation Pool):19.00 Valletta vs exiles.
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Brisk Exiles taste success
This was by all accounts a brisk Exiles Jet Freight performance which helped them break their duck in no uncertain manner when disposing of Valletta McDonald’s 14-10 in yesterday’s second play-off in the bottom pool.
The team from Sliema were full worth their victory as they employed the right tactics to annul anything the erstwhile careless Valletta side could throw at them.
The winners were very diligent in their marking of Valletta’s danger man Dmitrii Kholod, taking it in turns to shadow the Russian very strictly when he was within shooting range.
Moreover, the opportunism of Dorian Pisani’s team and the scoring traits of the powerful left-hander Milos Vukicevic, who netted a nap-hand of goals, could only leave the City team reacting in spasms.
After going initially in front through Ryan Mock, Valletta collapsed, and were constantly in arrears by three or four goals, only to close the deficit to a couple of goals once in the last quarter.
Three goals by the dependable Kurt Grixti and two each from Julian Rizzo Naudi and Kayne Lanzon helped Exiles’s cause and kept Valletta in a precarious position especially after Michael Rizzo was excluded with substitution two minutes from...
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Saints, Reds favourites to reach final
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Marsaxlokk claim final spot
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Unbeaten US women face Hungary in waterpolo SFs
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Valletta outgun Sirens
Valletta McDonald’s are fast earning the tag of a yo-yo team this season after a series of mixed results.
This was none more evident than in their last two matches when they lost 13-5 to Sirens in the knock-out and then contrived to bow to bottom team Exiles by a four-goal margin.
Yesterday, however, they completely reversed this negative trend with a faultless display that blew apart a hitherto sorry Sirens who were completely outgunned.
Although Valletta were always in front, once in the third session by three goals, their opponents’ collapse came mainly in the last session when the City team had taken a reassuring 9-4 lead with under two minutes left.
That ninth goal brought a violent reaction from Sirens’ goalkeeper Nicholas Grixti who was excluded without substitution.
Valletta then went on to round up their victory with two more goals.
A feature of the game was the tight duel between Valletta’s Dmitrii Kholod and Sirens’ Sergi Mora, a tussle which in the end was won by the Russian who scored twice to Mora’s single strike.
Otherwise Stephen Rizzo’s team had a clear edge as goalkeeper Ryan Sciortino provided the inspiration and James Spiteri Staines the bulk of goals...
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Croatia to defend title in waterpolo final
Croatia remain on course for back-to-back golds after defeating Montenegro 12-8 in the first men’s water polo semi-final to clinch a spot in tomorrow’s gold-medal match.
In a hard-fought match notable for aggressive grappling close to the goals, the Olympic title-holders’ win owed much to deft goalkeeping, and an almost impregnable defence.
Goalkeeper Marko Bijak made several crucial blocks to deny Montenegro’s prolific shooters, saving 10 of 18 shots on goal.
Though Croatia’s attack took fewer shots, they were more often on the money. Croatia’s Andro Buslje scored four times – an 80 per cent success rate.
Montenegro’s goalkeepers, by contrast, saved only two of 14 shots during the match.
“It’s always the most important part of the game,” Croatian goalkeeper Bijak said of his team’s superior defences on Thursday. “(Montenegro) have a few very good shooters.”
The victory takes Croatia within one win of retaining the title they won in London in 2012 and becoming just the fourth team in the 116-year Olympic history of the sport to win back-to-back gold medals.
Only Great Britain, Hungary and the former Yugoslavia – of which Croatia formed a part - have accomplished the...
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San Ġiljan remain in hot pursuit
The two-horse battle between champions San Ġiljan Salini Resort and neighbours Neptunes still rages on. By virtue of a clear-cut 11-5 win over Sliema Betsson the Saints kept breathing down the necks of their Balluta neighbours in their bid to retain the big prize of Maltese waterpolo.
Again San Ġiljan were full worth their victory with seven of their goals coming from Boris Vapenski and a brace each from their young talent Andreas Galea and powerful left-hander Matthew Zammit. The Blues just could not live with their opponents, despite twice going ahead early on, only for the side guided by Marko Orlovic to turn it round by the end of the first quarter.
Sliema, without two useful cogs, centre Jerome Gabarretta and utility player Nicholas Bugelli, fell apart after ends were changed, with the Saints 5-3 ahead and still not on solid territory. In any case, the Blues only had prestige as their prime mover after they had lost their slim chance of making up the leeway for the title following their last defeat against Neptunes.
The Saints nailed it in the third session which they won 3-0 to make it 8-3 into the last quarter. The Blues somehow battled on but could only finish wellbeaten...
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Title rivals Neptunes, Saints clash again with KO at stake
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San Ġiljan’s redemption earns them the KO title
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Neptunes on verge of title
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Reds wrest title from Saints
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Exiles win first relegation decider
In the first of possibly three relegation deciders Exiles Jetfreight made the right start in their bid to retain their Premier Division status when they beat Marsaxlokk Fischer 13-5, yesterday.
The victory was a foregone conclusion as the top division side were clearly the superior lot.
Moreover, the southerners presented a decimated squad not only in terms of numbers but also because they had chief scorer Ivan Vuksanovic and utility player Ian Buhagiar absent after leaving the island, as well as Karl Galea.
Marsaxlokk could only last the pace until almost midway in the second quarter when they led 2-1.
After that Milos Vukicevic, eventually scorer of six goals, and Kayne Lanzon who netted a hat-trick, took over striking duties to leave their opponents puffing and panting.
Exiles will achieve their objective if they beat Marsaxlokk in the second decider on Thursday.
Bar statistics, yesterday’s duel between Sliema Betsson and San Ġiljan Salini Resort was of negligible importance once the destination of this year’s league title had been sealed in favour of Neptunes last Wednesday.
Although one could not play down the players’ endeavours resulting in 20 goals being shared the match...
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Sliema waterpolo girls make it a double
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Waterpolo: Neptunes Grimaldi crowned champions
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Reds chief savours ‘special’ 24th title
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Champions’ whopping win sinks San Ġiljan
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