MALTA 17
SLOVENIA 4
(2-1, 4-0, 4-1, 7-2)
The Malta Under 15 waterpolo national team put one foot into the European Championship finals after brushing aside Slovenia in their opening match from the qualifying tournament being played at the National Pool.
As the scoreline clearly shows, the Maltese youngsters were simply a cut above their opponents as they dominated the match from start to finish.
Jayden Cutajar was arguably the star performer of the team as he scored no less then nine goals on the day to give the home side an impressive start to the qualifying tournament.
With two teams progressing to July’s championship finals, the Maltese will now be waiting impatiently for today’s match between Slovenia and France where a win for the French would secure an historic qualification for the Maltese.
Cutajar took little time to settle his team-mates nerves when he managed to put his team two goals up in the opening session with the Slovenians managing to pull a goal back through Branko Kirasic.
But that was as close as the Slovenians came to the Maltese as in the second session, the home side scored four times without reply through the impressive Cutajar to leave the hosts with a comfortable 6-1 buffer when ends were changed.
The goals kept coming for Malta in the third session when they added four more goals, through Elijah Schembri, Jayden Cassar, Cutajar, and Enrico Mallia.
Filippo Porta had temporarily stopped the rot with a second goal for the Slovenians for 7-2.
The final session was just academic as Malta were coasting home to victory, netting seven more times through Cutajar twice more, Zak Cutajar Licari, Enrico Mallia, Miguel Cain Cutajar, Lee Montebello Brownrigg and Luigi Dimech to wrap up a resounding win.
MALTA
Dale Galea Mule, Luigi Dimech 1, Isaac Azzopardi, Gabriel Bonavia, Jayden Cassar 1, Dean Bugeja, Zak Cutajar Licari 1, J. Cutajar 9, Elijah Schembri 1, Miguel Cain Cutajar 1, Lee Montebello Brownrigg 1, Enrico Mallia 2, Myron Brimmer.
SLOVENIA
Gal Karnicar, Miha Santak, Florijan Policnik, Anze Povhe, Nikola Lukic, Teodor Basi 1, David Laketic 1, Branko Kirasic 1, Jaka Klobuar, Filippo Porta 1, Maks Serazin, Nace Stromajer, Bor Udovc.
Referees: Massimo Castrilli (Switzerland), Ivo Mares (Czech Rep.).
