Sirens continued their impressive rise this season with a commanding 18-13 victory over reigning champions San Ġiljan, condemning the title holders to a third consecutive defeat.
The Northerners dictated the match from the opening whistle, maintaining control throughout and responding every time San Ġiljan threatened to close the gap.
Matthew Mifsud gave Sirens the perfect start with two early goals before Nikolai Zammit replied for the champions. Dániel Angyal restored the two-goal advantage, while Jerko Marinic-Kragić kept San Ġiljan in contention. Sirens, however, finished the first quarter strongly to open up a 6-3 lead.
Although Zammit scored early in the second period, Sirens quickly reasserted themselves to extend their advantage to 8-4. Alec Fenech briefly reduced the deficit, but Gregory Zerafa and Matthew Sciberras struck in quick succession to restore a comfortable cushion. Zach Mizzi added another before half-time as Sirens headed into the break leading 11-6.
Mifsud completed his hat-trick shortly after the restart, while Marinic-Kragić continued to score from the penalty spot. Sirens remained firmly in control, with Sciberras and Andreas Galea helping stretch the lead to 14-7.
San Ġiljan showed signs of a comeback as captain Matthew Zammit scored twice in quick succession before Marinic-Kragić added his fourth goal to reduce the deficit to four. However, Sirens quickly ended any hopes of a revival.
Angyal scored twice early in the final quarter to complete a six-goal performance and put the result beyond doubt. Jake Muscat and Marinic-Kragić replied for the champions, but Matías Ortoleva produced one of the highlights of the match by rounding the goalkeeper before calmly finishing into an empty net. Muscat converted a late penalty, while Kydon Agius added Sirens’ final goal to complete an emphatic victory.
The result further strengthens Sirens’ credentials as genuine title challengers, while San Ġiljan face growing concerns after a disappointing start to the defence of their championship.
Earlier in the day, Sliema cruised to a comfortable victory over Valletta as Italian star Francesco Di Fulvio enjoyed a dream debut.
Sliema controlled the contest from beginning to end, dominating both offensively and defensively to leave Valletta with few opportunities.
Almost every Sliema outfield player got on the scoresheet, with Daniel Rizzo the only player not to find the net.
Elijah Schembri led the scoring with six goals, while Di Fulvio marked his first appearance for the club with an impressive five-goal haul. Jayden Cutajar also played a key role, contributing four goals in another dominant attacking display.
