San Ġiljan recover in the last session to move one win away from the title

SAN ĠILJAN JP PROJECTS 7 SLIEMA FRANK SALT 6 (2-2), (1-3), (1-1), (3-0)

San Ġiljan JP Projects are just one win away from clinching their 12th league in their history. For most of the match, they didn’t look the team that was going to end victorious but in the last session they challenged themselves and took advantage from their opponents’ mistakes.

Sliema must feel disappointed as they threw away all the hard work, they did in the first three sessions. They lost power in attack when their centre Jerome Gabarretta was fouled out midway through the third session.

The performances of both goalkeepers especially San Ġiljan’s goalkeeper Jake Tanti proved to be pivotal as at one point during the second session both Tanti and Nicky Grixti kept their teams in the game.

The match got off to a flying start as Nicholas Bugelli put San Ġiljan and Benji Cachia equalised, all in the first minute of the game. Mattias Ortoleva regained San Ġiljan’s lead with a shot from an acute angle but again immediately, Sliema responded through Jerome Gabarretta.

At one point in the second part of the second session, Sliema took control of the game and after captain Mark Meli put Sliema in the lead for the first time, Liam Galea doubled the advantage half a minute later with a

splendid backhand. Nikolai Zammit reduced the gap from penalty, but Gabarretta showed quality in the centre to beat Tanti. Before Zammit’s penalty, Darren Zammit was sent-off with substitution.

Youngster Jake Bonavia reduced the margin again to a goal in the beginning of the third session. They could have equalised after the won a penalty while Sliema lost Gabarretta with the

third foul. But Andreas Galea missed the chance. A minute later, Benji Cachia found the angle to beat again Tanti to give Sliema a precious 6-4 lead.

Before the last session began, San Ġiljan coach Zeljko Kovacic was sent-off by referee Raffaele Colombo for protesting. San Ġiljan had to dig deep to salvage the game. Bonavia kept San Ġiljan in the game in the middle of the last session, scoring from close range

and later he took advantage from an indecision by Nicky Grixti to equalise.

Sliema’s ex-player Nicholas Bugelli completed the comeback a few seconds later as now San Ġiljan led 7-6 with a bit less than three minutes before the end of the game. Sliema still had time to recover but they started panicking and lost their sharpness and concentration in front of goal.

San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, P. Borg, A.

Galea, N. Schiavone, R. Caruana, M. Zammit, B. Plumpton, D. Tully, J. Bonavia (3), N. Zammit (1), D. Zammit, N. Bugelli (2), G. Vassallo, M. Ortoleva (1), D. Ferò

Sliema: N. Grixti, J. Gabarretta (2), L. Galea (1), D. Rizzo, M. Meli (1), B. Cachia (2), J. Cutajar, M. Mifsud, J. Brownrigg, J. Gambin, Z. Mizzi, D. Zammit, A. Theuma, K. Borg

Referees: Raffaele Colombo, Ronnie Spiteri