Slovakia ……11
Malta………..20
(4-4), (7-4), (3-1), (6-2)
European Aquatics European Championships 2026, Belgrade Serbia
A superb performance by the Malta national water polo team paved the way for a convincing victory over Slovakia in the second play-off match to determine the final 13th–16th placings at the 37th edition of the European Championships.
The match proved historic for Malta, with two significant records being set. The first was the team’s 20-goal tally — the highest ever scored by Malta in a single match at the European Championships. The second was an individual milestone achieved by Stevie Camilleri, who reached an all-time total of 60 goals at the Championships after scoring six times in this encounter.
Malta are now in pole position to secure a landmark 13th-place finish if they manage a positive result against Slovenia on Saturday in the final match in Belgrade — a placing the team has never achieved in the past five editions of the tournament.
After a slow start that saw Malta fall two goals behind, Stevie Camilleri opened the scoring for Malta from the penalty spot to make it 2–1. Camilleri struck again shortly afterwards, dribbling past his marker to reduce the deficit to 3–2. Alec Fenech then pulled Malta back to within one goal with a sharp shot from the right flank, making it 4–3. From a man-up situation, Nikolai Zammit equalised from position two, ensuring the first quarter ended level at 4–4.
The second period began with Camilleri converting a fast man-up opportunity to give Malta their first lead of the match at 5–4. Malta then extended their advantage when Ivan Nagaev converted a penalty for 6–4. Slovakia responded through Furman to cut the gap to 6–5, but Malta quickly restored their two-goal cushion as Elijah Schembri scored from position five in another man-up situation. Liam Galea followed with an excellent finish from centre, turning his defender to make it 8–5. Alec Fenech added Malta’s ninth goal, before Camilleri netted his 58th career goal at the Championships. Fenech then completed a strong first-half display with his third goal of the match, sending Malta into the break leading 11–8.
Malta continued to assert their dominance in the third quarter. Liam Galea scored from position three during a man-up play to make it 12–8 — the first time Malta had opened a four-goal lead. The advantage soon increased to five as Nagaev swam almost half the length of the pool before delivering a perfect assist for Galea, who completed his hat-trick. Matthew Zammit then won a penalty, which Alec Fenech calmly converted to extend Malta’s lead to 14–9.
The final quarter saw Malta win the sprint and immediately add their 15th goal, with captain Stevie Camilleri sealing his fifth of the match. Elijah Schembri followed with another goal to make it 16–9, before Ben Plumpton scored from yet another man-up situation for 17–9. Camilleri then reached a historic milestone, netting his 60th career goal at the European Championships to make it 18–9. Liam Galea added his fourth personal goal for 19–9, before Alec Fenech completed Malta’s remarkable scoring with their 20th goal. Slovakia managed two late goals, but the match concluded with an emphatic 20–11 victory for Malta.
This victory marked Malta’s first-ever win over Slovakia at the European Water Polo Championships, after the Slovaks had prevailed in the previous three encounters. The only previous Maltese success against Slovakia had come in Group II of the World Championships in 2024.
Table 13-16 Classification:
Malta…6 pts
Slovenia..3 pts
Israel…2 pts
Slovakia..1 pt
If Malta wins or registers a minimum of a draw our team will be awarded the 13th place final classification place something that has never been achived before. For tomorrow’s match (Swim Up 10:15hrs) against Malta, Slovenia will have their left hander Troppan missing as he was red carded for brutality earlier today in the encounter against Israel.
Malta: J.Tanti, I. Nagaev (1), L. Galea (4), B. Plumpton (1), B. Cachia, M. Zammit, S. Camilleri (6), J. Cutajar, N. Zammit (1), D. Zammit, A. Fenech (5), N. Grixti, E. Schembri (2), J. Bonavia.
Slovakia: Lukas Kozmer , Marco MIHAL (1) , Patrik TISAJ, Marek MOLNAR , Maros TKAC (1), Lukas SEMAN (2), Marek TKAC, Adam FURMAN (3), Tomas BIELIK, CARAJ Matej (2), BALAZ Samuel (2), BALOGH Filip, JUHASZ Boris.
