Marsascala fall to Sliema's powers of recovery

Sliema 11
Marsascala 10
(2-5, 2-2, 4-1, 3-2)

With Marsascala always making Sliema Burger King chase the scoreline for all but almost the last minute of the 32 minutes playing time, the Blues, as many would have thought, pulled the last trigger to edge ahead and secure a place in tomorrow's final against Sirens.

In a match replete with exciting fare, the southseasiders appeared to be well on course to upset their opponents as they drove superbly off a zone base to maintain a good lead until midway through the third session.

The Blues may not have relished some referees' decisions, but all in all, they could only point an accusing finger to themselves for their carelessness when within shooting range.

They were only saved by their recuperative qualities and a one hundred per cent man-up conversion rate. Marsascala, on their part, scored three from eight sets.

Marsascala's zone repeatedly foiled the Blues' initial attempts to breach their rearguard. Moreover, the southseasiders were breaking with ease, particularly with Christian Gialanze jettisoning himself punctually to net three successive goals for his team.

Joseph Cremona had opened Marsascala's account with Nicky Falzon pulling a goal back on 2-0. Sliema managed to cut a 5-1 deficit through Ivan Muscat on their only man-up set.

After Soler reduced the arrears to 5-3, the Blues' edginess in the recovery phase kept proving costly as John Xerri de Caro with a superb lob, and again Gialanze on a break, helped Marsascala regain a four-goal advantage on 7-3.

Sliema's shooting remained haphazard, but at least they maintained a clean sheet on man-ups when Engerer flicked in to make it 7-4 at the halfway mark.

A Falzon special made it 7-5 before Ciappara converted a penalty to restore the three-goal advantage.

Loose covering from Ciappara helped the opportunistic Muscat to close the gap to 8-6. Bugeja's misjudged sortie enabled Debono to pull back yet another goal, before John Paris cutely lobbed in to make it 8-8 at the end of the third quarter.

The Blues breathed fresh oxygen, with Marsascala losing the momentum of the initial sessions.

Sliema's strong arm tactics were still being punished especially by the uncompromising Enzo Carannante. But the southseasiders tossed away four consecutive man-up sets, the last in controversial circumstances as Mario Dalli ruled that Fava had pushed away from his shadower before netting with a backhand. Xerri De Caro's superb flick righted matters to put Marsascala 9-8 ahead.

Aquilina was on the end of a perfect service from Falzon to convert his team's fourth and last man-up from as many sets.

The excitement kept brewing as Ciappara's conversion from a penalty was annulled by Aquilina's umpteenth equaliser, for the Blues to edge ahead for the first time courtesy of Paris. It was the final act in a thrilling contest.

Sliema: J. Cachia, N. Falzon (2), M. Manara, A. Bianchi, P. Cachia, J. Soler (1), J. Paris (2), K. Engerer (1), C. Debono (1), F. Cutajar, K. Schembri, I. Muscat (2), E. Aquilina (2).

Marsascala: I. Bugeja, P. Fava, T. Galea, A. Farrugia, C. Gialanze (4), J. Xerri De Caro (2), C. Mercieca, J. Cremona (1), R. Cutajar, R. Calleja, G. Borg, M. Zammit, D. Ciappara (3).

Refs: M. Dalli/E. Carannante.

KO Final

Sliema Burger King vs Go Mobile Sirens - tomorrow, 11 a.m.