Neptunes secured their place in the Malta Premier Division championship final after defeating San Giljan 14-13 in a dramatic semifinal encounter, while Sirens beat Sliema 17-13 to force a winner-takes-all decider.
Just days after losing to San Giljan in the Knockout Cup final, Neptunes responded with victory in a match filled with momentum swings, controversy and a tense finish.
San Giljan made the stronger start and led 3-2 after the opening quarter, with Alec Fenech, Jerko Marinic-Kragic and Nikolai Zammit on target.
Neptunes turned the contest around during the second period. Ivan Nagaev and Marko Zuvela moved their side ahead before a significant moment midway through the quarter, when Darren Zammit was shown a red card for brutality following a VAR review of an incident involving Steve Camilleri.
San Giljan were forced to play with one fewer player for four minutes. Although Jake Tanti saved the resulting penalty from Zuvela, Neptunes took advantage of the numerical situation and moved 7-4 ahead by half-time.
The Saints fought back during the third quarter. Marinic-Kragic continued to lead their attack, while Russell Caruana also scored as San Giljan reduced the deficit to 10-8.
Marinic-Kragic brought San Giljan within one early in the fourth, but Neptunes repeatedly found an answer. Jake Bajada produced an excellent backhand finish before Camilleri and Nagaev restored the two-goal cushion.
Camilleri then struck again to make it 14-11 with just over two minutes remaining. San Giljan refused to surrender, with Marinic-Kragic and Caruana reducing the gap to one, but Neptunes survived the final possession to seal their place in the championship final.
Camilleri and Zuvela scored four goals each for Neptunes, while Marinic-Kragic finished with seven for San Giljan.
Their final opponent remains undecided after Sirens overturned Sliema’s advantage from the regular season.
Sliema led during the opening stages, but Sirens transformed the contest with a four-goal run in the second quarter before dominating the third period 5-1.
Daniel Angyal delivered an outstanding performance with eight goals, including two important late strikes after Sliema had threatened another comeback.
Sirens’ 17-13 victory means the two sides will meet again on Friday, with the winner advancing to face Neptunes for the championship.
Results
Premier Division semifinals
Neptunes 14-13 San Giljan
(2-3, 5-1, 3-4, 4-5)
Sliema 13-17 Sirens
(4-3, 4-6, 1-5, 4-3)
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