Malta has returned from the Table Football World Cup in Paris with an impressive haul of four medals after competing against players from 28 countries.
The Maltese contingent secured one silver and three bronze medals, with Mark Gauci reaching the Open final, Samuel Bartolo taking individual bronze and both Malta’s Open and Veteran teams earning bronze medals.
Mark Gauci Takes Silver In Open Competition
Mark Gauci produced Malta’s strongest individual result by reaching the Open final, where he was beaten 3-1 by Spain’s Carlos Flores to finish with the silver medal.
His route to the final included a significant 2-1 quarter-final victory over 2024 world champion Dimitri Dimopoulos of Greece.
The semi-final then brought an all-Maltese encounter between Gauci and Samuel Bartolo, with Gauci winning 2-0 to advance to the final. Bartolo’s run earned him a bronze medal.
Bartolo had reached the last four after defeating Italy’s Mato Ciccarelli 3-2 in extra time in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere in the Open competition, Jurgen Balzan progressed from his group before being eliminated by Dimopoulos in the last 16. George Ebejer also qualified from his group and reached the last 32, where England’s Kaspar Bennett ended his run.
Strong Maltese Performances Across The Categories
In the Veterans competition, Charles Aquilina reached the quarter-finals. He defeated Germany’s Frank Stiller 4-1 in the last 16 before losing 1-0 to Greece’s Yannis Salamouris.
John Zammit and Jason Pisani both reached the last 16, where they were eliminated by Portugal’s Manuel Santos and Greece’s Alberto Di Maggio respectively. Patrick Pace competed in the group stage.
Malta was also represented in the Under-20 category by Robert Farrugia Randon, who progressed from his group and reached the last 16 before losing 6-3 to Greece’s Giorgos Vlassopoulos.
Two More Bronze Medals For Malta’s Teams
Malta added another two bronze medals through the Open and Veteran team competitions, with both sides reaching their respective semi-finals.
The Open team recorded three emphatic 4-0 victories against Scotland, Ireland and Australia. Malta then overcame Greece in the quarter-finals by a one-goal margin following a 2-2 draw, before Italy won the semi-final 4-0.
The Open team consisted of Samuel Bartolo, Mark Gauci, Jamie Bonnici, George Ebejer and Jurgen Balzan.
Malta’s Veteran team topped its group after beating Japan 4-0 and Spain 2-1. The Maltese side then defeated England 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Their tournament came to an end against Greece in the semi-finals, with the Greeks progressing by a one-goal margin after the match finished 1-1.
The Veteran team consisted of Charles Aquilina, Jason Pisani, John Zammit, Massimo Cremona, Patrick Pace and Mario Camilleri.
Four Medals From A World Cup Field Of 28 Countries
Emanuel Camilleri and Josef Camilleri led the Maltese contingent in Paris.
With one silver and three bronze medals across the individual and team competitions, Malta completed the World Cup with podium finishes in both the Open and Veteran sections.
The Maltese participation was supported by the Maltese Olympic Committee and VisitMalta.
