The University of Malta Futsal team has etched another remarkable chapter in its history by securing the Futsal Knockout Cup for the fourth time. This year the cup was branded as the Laferla Futsal Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
In a thrilling final held on Saturday, 31st May 2025, at the National Sport School in Pembroke, UM Futsal overturned an early deficit to defeat reigning champions Luxol St Andrew’s 2-1.
A Resilient Performance
The match began with Luxol asserting dominance, as captain Mark Zammit netted a goal within the first two minutes, catching UM goalkeeper Stefan Vella off guard. Despite this early setback, UM Futsal demonstrated resilience, with two attempts hitting the post during the first half, signaling our intent to fight back.
The turning point came five minutes before the end when Luxol’s goalkeeper, Clint Mifsud, received a red card, reducing his team to four men for two minutes. Seizing the opportunity, UM equalized through Luke Anthony Borg who tipped the ball in from a Cleaven Portelli lob. Just a minute later, Cristian Jose Fernandez scored the decisive goal with a diagonal shot from the corner area, capitalizing on a defensive lapse to beat substitute goalkeeper Ryan Marmara.
Luxol mounted a late offensive, but UM’s defense held firm, securing a memorable victory.
Celebrating the Triumph
At the final whistle, UM Futsal captain Cleaven Portelli was presented with the trophy by Futsal Malta Association Treasurer Matthew Borg, sparking celebrations among players, staff, committee and supporters.
Team Line-ups
Starting:
22 Stefan Vella
7 Steven Camilleri
9 Cleaven Portelli (captain)
21 Paul Scerri
77 Cristian Fernández
Substitutes:
1 Ryan Scerri
5 Zvezdan Vukovic
8 Andre Cachia
10 Luke Borg
15 Stefan Camilleri
20 Mark Adami
Unavailable Players:
3 Andrés Aguilera
4 Aaron Montebello
44 Neil Cauchi
92 Mohammed El Amari
Technical Staff:
Zvezdan Vuković
Niky Espinel
Marinko Solarević
Luís Figueroa
James Brincat Almeida
Carlos Rivera
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