Sliema and San Ġiljan Cruise to Dominant Opening Wins in Challenger Cup

Sliema ASC and San Ġiljan enjoyed emphatic starts to their European Aquatics Challenger Cup campaigns, each securing commanding victories in their opening Group A fixtures at the Cottonera Sports Complex.

Last year’s semi-finalists Sliema began strongly, defeating Israeli side Hapoel Palram Zvulun 18-13. The Blues took early control, building a 5-2 lead in the first session thanks to a Dino Zammit hat-trick and goals from Benjamin Cachia and Liam Galea.

Although Hapoel fought back in the second session to narrow the gap to 8-7, Sliema restored their advantage in the third, pushing ahead 14-11 through further goals from Zammit, Galea and Elijah Schembri. In the final session, Sliema managed the match expertly, with Sam Engerer, Jayden Cassar, Julian Chircop and Jake Cachia sealing the win.

San Ġiljan were equally impressive, easing past APOEL Nicosia with a dominant 26-10 victory. The Saints effectively wrapped up the contest by half-time, surging to a 14-5 lead.

Marko Vavic and Nikolai Zammit each scored five goals, while Matthew Zammit added four. The remaining goals came from a wide spread of scorers as San Ġiljan continued to overwhelm their opponents in the final sessions.

The group continues on Saturday, with Sliema and San Ġiljan meeting in a highly anticipated clash for top spot at 7.30pm.

Photo Credits: Timmy Cutugno / Sliema ASC

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