The 1957-58 Cassar Cup final was one of the best played in the post-war period. It was a scintillating game, a heart-stopping display by the two giants of Maltese football, Floriana and Sliema Wanderers.
The Blues did their very best but their performance was outshone by a dazzling display by their rivals.
The Greens were simply irresistible on that fateful afternoon. Every player wearing the green and white jersey was in top form but the star performer on the day was Pullu Demanuele.
Demanuele was a top-notch player and like every great artist, he reserved his best work for the big occasion.
In the 1957-58 Cassar Cup final, he played the greatest game of his long and illustrious career. He led Ġużi Bonnici and Ninu Calleja, both experienced defenders, a merry dance.
Demanuele never put a foot wrong and, combining perfectly with his long-time strike partner Lolly Borg, he thrilled the crowd with his mesmerising dribbles down the left flank of the Sliema defence. Then, he rounded off a great afternoon’s work with a goal that brought the Gżira Stadium crowd to its feet.
On their way to the final, Floriana had already humiliated Ħam-run Spartans.
The Spartans lived for only the first 10 minutes in this game. Floriana then released the brakes and, led by the devastating tandem of Borg and Demanuele, they outplayed the Spartans, winning the game 7-0!
Going back to the final, the Wanderers, like the Spartans before them, were only in the game for the first quarter of an hour.
Demanuele cracked in the first goal and two minutes later, Tony Cauchi made it 2-0 after the Sliema defence had stood still expecting the whistle to go for offside.
The goal was valid, however, and it spelt the end of Sliema’s resistance. From now on the Wanderers were a demoralised lot and there was only one team in it.
To add to Sliema’s woes, they wasted a golden opportunity to re-open the issue when, with two goals down, Calleja failed to score from a penalty.
In the second half, Sliema improved considerably and for a while, they seemed capable of turning the tide in their favour.
They made one last desperate effort to save the game but then Demanuele delivered a shattering blow that knocked the stuffing out of the Wanderers.
Demanuele received a pass in midfield, beat Ġużi Bonnici as the Sliema full-back came in for the tackle. He then cut past Calleja, rounded Salvu Bonnici and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the far corner of Victor Scerri’s goal.
It was indeed a convincing victory by Floriana, inspired by the Borg-Demanuele tandem, the greatest left-wing partnership in the history of Floriana.
It was, however, a pity that Demanuele chose this particular match to produce his best ever performance.
A sad note was stuck at the end of the game when Sliema wanderers skipper, the great Tony Nicholl, shook hands with the Floriana players and waved adieu to the crowd. It was the last game of a great sportsman.