Maltese team through to the semi-finals

Malta has secured another international snooker success as Malta 3, formed by Philip Ciantar and Isaac Borg, qualified for the semi-finals of the Men’s European Team Snooker Championship currently taking place in Golem, Albania. This result also guarantees a podium finish for Malta with at least third place.

Two Maltese teams in the quarter-finals

Malta had two teams among the final eight. Malta 1 (Aaron Busuttil and Chris Peplow) put up a strong fight but narrowly lost 3–2 in the deciding frame against France 1 (Nicolas Mortreux and Gauvain Bazin).

Meanwhile, Ciantar and Borg claimed a thrilling 3–2 win over Albania 1 (Kledio Kaci and Dorjan Maknori), thanks to a decisive final frame that booked their place in the semi-finals.

Rematch against France

On Saturday morning, Malta 3 will face France 1, the same team that eliminated Busuttil and Peplow, in what promises to be a highly competitive semi-final clash.

In the other semi-final, Ukraine (Anton Kazakov and Mykhailo Larkov) will meet Wales (Alfie Davies and Riley Powell).

A repeat final on the horizon?

If both Malta and Ukraine win their respective semi-finals, the final will be a repeat of last year’s showdown between the two nations. The two teams also faced each other earlier in this year’s group stage.

Final brought forward

Although the final was originally scheduled for Sunday, the EBSA has moved it to Saturday at 4:00 PM.

Malta now stands one step away from another historic European final, with Ciantar and Borg flying the flag on the continental snooker stage.