Gritty Malta edge past Poland

Malta 8
Poland 7
(2-2, 2-2, 3-1, 1-2)

Malta maintained their perfect start to the 2009 European 'B' Waterpolo Championships in Lugano yesterday after eclipsing Poland 8-7 in a tight encounter.

Having launched their Group B commitments with a morale-boosting 6-4 success over hosts Switzerland on Saturday, Malta kept the good work going yesterday when shrugging off Poland's stiff challenge.

Sergio Afric's men showed their resilience as they overcame Jonathan Valletta's early exclusion (with substitution) for dissent to gain a decisive edge over the Polish with a powerful charge in the third session.

Balance had prevailed in the opening two sessions as the two teams traded eight goals for a 4-4 scoreline at the halfway stage.

Malta turned the heat on Poland in the third quarter which they won 3-1 to take a two-goal advantage. The resurgent Poles edged the final session 2-1 but Malta, for whom Stevie Camilleri missed a penalty, held out for an 8-7 win.

Camilleri, John Soler and John Brownrigg each notched a brace with Niki Lanzon and Paul Privitera scoring Malta's other goals.

This afternoon, Malta take on Georgia in a clash between the early leaders of Group B after both teams gained maximum points from their opening two matches.

After thrashing Poland 16-3 on Saturday, Georgia had to fight much harder to beat Great Britain, 10-9 the final scoreline.

In May, Malta cruised to an 11-5 win over Georgia in a qualifying match for the European 'B' Championships but reports from Switzerland say that the ex-Soviet Republic is fielding a stronger squad at the Lugano tournament.

Malta:
J. Cachia, A. Borg Cole, J. Gabaretta, S. Camilleri 2, C. Debono, M. Pisani, P. Privitera 1, J. Valletta, M. Stellini, J. Soler 2, M. Meli, J. Brownrigg 2, N. Lanzon 1.

Other results: Group A - Denmark vs Ukraine 8-10; Turkey vs Belarus 18-8; France vs Slovenia 13-12. Group B - Great Britain vs Georgia 9-10; Netherlands vs Switzerland 22-5.

Standings: Group A - France 6 points; Turkey, Belarus, Slovenia, Ukraine 3; Denmark 0. Group B - Georgia, Malta 6; Great Britain, Netherlands 3; Switzerland, Poland 0.