A superior Neptunes stepped into the driving seat from the second session onwards to take San Ġiljan by storm and thus obtain a valuable headstart at the beginning of the Premier Division.
The Reds made a flying start as they took a 3-0 lead over an edgy San Ġiljan who were otherwise thwarted by an unyielding Reds rearguard.
Still the Saints fought back and late goals by Peter Borg, Ben Plumpton and Nikolai Zammit restored parity.
In the second session, Neptunes started firing on all cylinders when Camilleri and Jake Muscat (2), gave the Reds a 6-4 lead. San Ġiljan’s stringent press was proving costly in terms of expulsions as Camilleri converted a penalty to make it 7-4.
On the other side, Ortoleva was guilty of fluffing two consecutive man-up advantages.
Ominously for San Ġiljan, captain Matthew Zammit was excluded for good in the third session as Camilleri was enjoying every minute of it.
Click here for the full report.