Sliema actually started the better side, showing aggression from the opening minutes. Steve Pisani tried his luck early on with a long-range strike, and Roko Prsa followed it up with another attempt from distance.

Valletta responded quickly, first through Andrea Zammit, who forced a superb low save from Rasheed Al Tumi after bursting into the box. Moments later, Messias skipped past two players in midfield before firing high, a warning of what was coming.

The breakthrough arrived right on the half-hour mark. Messias produced a moment of individual brilliance, gliding past Jean Borg and Murillo on the edge of the box before slotting home a precise low finish to put Valletta ahead.

Sliema believed they had won a penalty soon after when Prsa went down in the area, prompting their bench to call for VAR. Referee Ishmael Barbara reviewed the footage but stuck with his original decision, waving away the appeals. Valletta held their 1-0 lead heading into the break.

 

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The second half saw Valletta come out with more intent. Zammit curled a dangerous ball across goal towards Messias, who surprisingly failed to convert from close range. Sliema, determined not to let the match slip away, pushed forward and came close through Prsa, whose sharp low drive forced dos Santos into a difficult save. But as the pressure grew, Valletta struck at the perfect moment.

In the 77th minute, Messias doubled Valletta’s lead from the penalty spot, much to the frustration of Sliema coach Paul Zammit, who had loudly requested a second VAR review. Just minutes later, captain Brandon Paiber delivered a stunning free kick from distance, curling the ball into the top-left corner in what felt like the definitive blow of the match. Sliema managed to pull one back late on through Fernando, but it arrived too late to change the outcome.

In the end, Valletta proved the sharper, more decisive side when it mattered most. With Messias’ brilliance and Paiber’s moment of magic, Valletta secured a memorable victory and claimed the Jubilee Cup, a fitting triumph on a night created to celebrate Maltese football history.

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