Malta BOV ePremier League Knockout Stage Recap - B...

Almost every single match was a thrilling humdinger at this year's Malta BOV ePremier League Knockout Stage. Beyond the path of victory for Shaun "brandsha" Galea and Hamrun, so many storylines unfolded for as the best of the best went at it - let's take a closer look in this recap.

Malta BOV ePremier League 2023/24 - The Final Standings

Before diving into the finer things, here's a summary of the standings at the tournament:

Knockout Stage Recap - Highlight Matches

Fourteen long and hard-fought matches determined the standings of the 2024 Malta BOV ePremier League Knockout Stage.

While we may not be able to dive into every single one of them, let's take a look at the most significant results. Considering the number of extraordinary matches, we'll do our best to pick only the closest of games:

Opening Quarterfinals - Faultering Favourites

Hamrun Spartans (6-6*) Sliema Wanderers

Starting things off, we were treated to an absolute banger. As two favourites lined up, Ryan "Klawka" Cauchi managed to take down Shaun "brandsha" Galea with the slimmest of margins. After a decisive penalty shoot-out, everyone was suddenly worried for the tournament favourite.

Valletta (3-2) Marsaxlokk

Speaking of favourites in hot water, Matthias Farrugia for Marsaxlokk also looked very strong heading into the tournament, while Valletta's Shaun Dimech could be considered a contender. With only 13% of the community favouring "Vli", he went on to stun the tournament and Marsaxlokk - either "Tubbi" or "brandsha" would be eliminated immediately.

Ludicrous Lower Bracket

Hamrun Spartans (5-4) Marsaxlokk

With two top dogs sent to the Lower Bracket early on, somebody would go home early while the other would survive to fight another day.

Sure, Hamrun was the favourite here, but that was also the case in the previous game which they lost. Both players played their hearts out, hungry to stay in the competition. In the end, it boiled down to a late winner from Hamrun to keep "brandsha" alive in the tournament.

Valletta (5-6) Naxxar Lions

At this tournament, Luke Bartolo decided to remind everyone as to why he considered as one of the best EA FC players in the entire nation.

After dismantling Gzira United in the first round of the Lower Bracket, he demonstrated his experience in a thrilling showdown against Valletta. Putting down Shaun "Vli" Dimech with a tight 6-5 finish, Luke Bartolo then went on to challenge Hamrun, losing in a similarly close scoreline of 5-4.

Sliema Wanderers (7-6) Valletta

This next match-up has two things worth pointing out. Firstly, Valletta was a part of many close matches and "Vli" was fantastic at reading opponents and taking matches the distance.

Secondly, Klawka was cooking at the MEPL Main Stage this year. After disposing of one tournament favourite, he then faced another fierce opponent. As the highest-scoring match of the entire event, the community struggled to predict the outcome of this match, and so did we.

In the end, Sliema Wanderers inched out Valletta, going on to destroy Mosta to wait in the Grand Final.

The Final Matches - A Warpath

With Sliema Wanderers waiting in the Grand Final, Hamrun Spartans stepped up to bat against Mosta in the Lower Bracket Final.

Represented by ShortyyT1, Mosta had performed very well at the tournament up to that point, making short work of Gzira United and Birkirkara's visiting competitor, Martin "RapidBunny" Sanchez" with ease.

Sure, ShortyyT1 had just lost to Klawka, but that didn't bother him. Diving into this match with full confidence, "brandsha" had a tall order here. Having survived three Lower Bracket matches so far, many feared this would be his last dance.

Constantly moving back and forth, the match slowly shifted in favour of Hamrun Spartans. Although Mosta fought to try regain the lead, it was too little too late and Hamrun Spartans booked a spot in the Grand Final.

Grand Final - Hamrun Spartans (7-5) Sliema Wanderers

It's only fair that an event featuring so many close scorelines concluded with perhaps the most exciting Malta BOV ePremier League Grand Final of all time.

Kicking off where they left off in the Upper Bracket Round 1 match, which went to penalties, Hamrun Spartans had learned their lesson. In the first match of the Grand Final, Hamrun Spartans proved their dominance with a solid 6-0 victory to force a bracket reset. The second match was a tighter affair but Shaun "brandsha" Galea managed to edge it out with a 7-5 scoreline. Fending off "Klawka", he walked away as the Malta BOV ePremier League Champion for 2024 and managed to defend the throne against the odds.