Malta secured their first victory in the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup 2026 Division II Men after producing an emphatic 19-7 win over Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening.Malta were sharp and clinical from the outset, with Ivan Nagaev leading the way in attack with five goals. Julian Valletta added a hat-trick, while Luigi Dimech, Jake Cachia, Sam Engerer and Elijah Schembri all scored twice. The remaining goals came from Benji Cachia, Jeremy Abela and Darren Zammit.The result was a timely response from the Maltese side, who had opened their campaign with a 15-12 defeat to Australia, and provided a major confidence lift for coach Milan Cirovic and his youthful squad.The victory was especially significant for Malta after the team suffered a major setback earlier in the day, with captain Stevie Camilleri ruled out of the tournament due to a facial injury. The experienced Neptunes player sustained a serious nasal injury in Tuesday’s loss to Australia and is expected to undergo surgery, with his return anticipated in about a month.Despite that blow, Malta started strongly. After surviving an early scare when Ruslan Akmetov missed from the penalty spot, the hosts quickly took control. Nagaev opened the scoring from a penalty before Schembri doubled Malta’s advantage.Further goals from Dimech and Benji Cachia helped Malta close the first session 4-2 ahead, before Nagaev struck twice early in the second period to stretch the lead to 6-2.Valletta then made his mark with two fine finishes as Malta tightened their grip on the contest and moved into an 8-4 halftime advantage.The third session proved decisive as Malta blew Kazakhstan away with an eight-goal burst. Jake Cachia, Jeremy Abela and Nagaev all found the net early, while Dimech, Engerer and Zammit also joined the scoring as the hosts surged into a commanding 16-6 lead.With the contest effectively over, Malta comfortably managed the final quarter, adding three more goals through Schembri, Valletta and Jake Cachia to complete an impressive 19-7 triumph.Malta will now look to build on this performance when they continue their campaign on Thursday against Romania.Well done boys 👏•