Stevie Camilleri nets hat-trick to help Catania avoid relegation

Stevie Camilleri managed to keep Nuoto Catania afloat in the Italian A1 championship in dramatic fashion.

Trailing 9-5 at the beginning of the fourth session to Anzio Waterpolis in the A1 Play-out session, Catania turned the tables on their opponents to win the last session 5-1 and finish level 10-10.

The comeback was completed during the penalty shoot-out when Catania retained their A1 status with 14-13 win.

Camilleri was the protagonist scoring a hat-trick as well as scoring Catania’s first penalty in the shoot out.

Catania, who had lost the opening game of the series, have thus completed an extraordinary comeback to win the series 2-1 after also winning the second match 9-8.

“The technical comments on the match are not important, what matters is the final result that keeps Catania among the elite of Italian waterpolo,” club president Mario Torrisi said.

On his part, Peppe Dato, the Nuoto Catania coach said, dedicated his team’s success to his players. “After Game One I had told the players that defeat was the first step towards our survival,” he said.

“My players always believed that we could survive and today, like in Game Two, they showed it. They deserve all the plaudits for keeping the team in the division, completing today what seemed like a difficult task and it’s all down to their hard work and determination.”