Malta’s Under-20 men’s water polo national team secured a remarkable ninth-place finish at the European Aquatics Men’s U20 Water Polo Championship in Varna, Bulgaria, following two further impressive victories, including a sporting revenge over the Netherlands.

Malta defeated the Netherlands 15-12 in their latest match, completing a strong finish to a tournament in which the team competed against some of Europe’s leading water polo nations.

The victory followed Malta’s dramatic shoot-out success against Turkey, when Milan Cirovic’s side prevailed 19-18 after recovering from a four-goal deficit to force penalties. The Maltese players then produced another determined performance against the Netherlands to complete their campaign with a ninth-place finish.

Against the Netherlands, Julian Chircop, Elijah Schembri and Luigi Dimech led the scoring with three goals each. Dean Bugeja, Philip Tabone, Jayden Cassar, Julian Valletta, Jayden Cutajar and Sam Engerer also found the net.

The ninth-place finish represents one of Malta’s strongest results at this level and reflects the character, quality and determination shown by the players throughout the championship.