A1 M – TeLiMar narrowly loses home derby against Ortigia

The shouts of the fans from the balconies of the buildings overlooking the municipal pool of Terrasini were not enough to push TeLiMar towards victory in the first Sicilian derby of the season. The Addaura Club closed the match against Circolo Canottieri Ortigia in the 8th round of A1 with a score of 9-10. It was a balanced game, despite the difference in strength in the pool and despite the absence of the so-called eighth man, who could have led the team from Palermo to victory. Played behind closed doors due to the lack of authorization from the Surveillance Commission of the Palermo Police Headquarters, the team led by Baldineti fought for every ball but succumbed to a few too many counterattacks. Holland was the standout player, making crucial saves including stopping a penalty from Inaba. TeLiMar remains at 10 points in the league, while Ortigia rises to 9. Next Saturday, it will be an away game in Florence against a direct competitor for safety.

THE MATCH REPORT
Inaba opened the scoring for the visitors, doubling the lead with Cassia on a man-up. TeLiMar reacted with a precise diagonal shot from Marini, who repeated it soon after from the center with an assist from Giliberti in an extra player situation.
The second quarter saw a relentless Marini bringing the Palermo team into the lead for the first time, with the opportunity to go up by 2 goals, but the strong wind disrupted the trajectory of Giliberti's shot. On the counterattack, Kalaitzis leveled the score. The visitors took a 3-5 lead by capitalizing on the man-up situations with La Rosa and Giribaldi. With 7 seconds remaining, Muscat earned a penalty. The vice-captain, Andrea Giliberti, scored from the 5 meters spot against Tempesti without fail.
After the long interval, Boggiano made it 5-5, and again Giliberti completed the turnaround. At the end of the third quarter, Campopiano, in a 2vs1 situation, restored balance to the match.
At the start of the last 8 minutes, Cassia found the net with a lob to make it 6-7. Moments of confusion in the pool. Marini, after a good exchange of passes with Muscat, restored order. However, Ortigia stayed in the game and with Napolitano in a man-up situation regained the lead with 3 minutes and 32 seconds left. Muscat responded immediately, but Cassia's penalty put the score at 8-9. Cassia himself found space among the opponents' defenders shortly after and brought Ortigia into double figures. Giliberti showed determination and promptly scored from an extra player situation, but with only 35 seconds left and Ortigia in attack. At the end of the action, Giliberti stole the ball and Baldineti called a timeout to try for a miracle. Holland moved up for the attack, but there was no more time.

Once again, the Ligurian striker Emanuele Marini was the top scorer with four goals today: "Their counterattacks put us in difficulty. Perhaps we could have done more defensively, but we played a great match at home without fans, which is a crucial factor in a derby. Not having them today changed the outcome of the match. It will be a disadvantage when we play away. We are upset, not only the people from Palermo. This is my second year here, and even last season, we didn't have the support of our fans, not even in the LEN Euro Cup. The team is in good shape, and the goal remains safety. We played a great game in Ostia against Olympic, and we earned a crucial point away at Quinto. Now, we focus on the direct clash at Florentia's home."

Italian male water polo national championship series A1 – 8th round – TeLiMar vs CC Ortigia 9-10
TeLiMar: Mandalà, Mangiante, Marini 4, Fabiano, Boggiano 1, Alfonso Pozo, Giliberti 3 (1 pen), Muscat 1, Lo Cascio, Bajic, Lo Dico, Pettonati, Holland, Giovinazzo – Coach: Marco Baldineti
CC Ortigia 1928: Tempesti, Cassia 4 (1 pen), Marangolo, La Rosa 1, Di Luciano, Giribaldi 1, Kalaitzis 1, Carnesecchi, Campopiano 1, Inaba 1, Scordo, Napolitano 1, Ruggiero, Sicali – Coach: Stefano Piccardo
Referees: Alessandro Severo and Bruno Navarra, both from Rome – Delegate: Giovanni Lo Dico
Quarters: 2-2; 2-3; 2-1; 3-4 – Man-ups: TeLiMar 2/6 + pen; Ortigia 4/9 + saved penalty
Notes: Alfonso (T) fouled out in the 3rd quarter. Holland (T) saved a penalty from Inaba in the 1st quarter. Giribaldi (O) was ejected. Match played behind closed doors.

Alessia Anselmo
TeLiMar Press Officer
Photo Credits: Antonio Melita/TeLiMar