by Malta and Hungary ended their friendly all square at 1-1 on Tuesday, with plenty of talking points. Manuela Tesse spoke about the desire of a braver Malta, while Alexandra Szarvas is looking for her team to improve the conversion rate amid plenty of creativity. Debutant Giulia D’Antuono was elated with her perfomance crediting the team support. She earned praises from Hungarian captain Henrietta Csiszar, who was balanced in her assessment of the team’s exploits in Malta and the team’s growth in the break.
Tesse Demanding Braver Malta
Malta and Hungary could not be separated after the ninety minutes on Tuesday, with Malta’s contingent understandably the happier of the two nations.
While acknowledging the importance of the result, Manuela Tesse spoke about the areas that the match exposed for improvement for her side, “I think firstly this match showed us that we need to develop out game going forward.”
She elaborated, “Hungary afforded us possession at times but we were scared to go forward, to take a chance with possession. We were more focused on what we would do if we lost the ball, than what to do with it going forward. I would have preferred the team to take a chance, go forward, if we concede then we concede. However, I prefer my team to be brave and play football.”
On the other hand, the Italian praised the increased versatility in the team in terms of shape, “We know we can now play three slightly different systems. Of course I have to also keep in touch with where players are playing with their club, because that’s where they will feel most comfortable since they spend most of their time there and we want them to feel comfortable.”
Manuela Tesse confirmed that Kailey Willis’ introduction in the second half was a planned one. “We know the players’ fitness and capability having monitored them throughout the international break so we introduce players accordingly.” On the other hand, pressed about the limited time afforded to other substitutes, Tesse was short in her response, “I did not want to disrupt the balance.”
Szarvas Seeking Lessons From Missed Opportunities, But Positive On Break
Manuela Tesse’s counterpart, Alexandra Szarvas, was honest in her response when questioned about whether she believed her team merited more for their efforts in the match.
She said, “I think we dominated in possession, we created twenty-seven chances and scored only one goal. This is a shame. However, at this level, every team can defend very well for ninety minutes and Malta did that very well. So, it is up to us to find a solution to score these chances. Otherwise, every game will be a difficult game.”
Pushed about the penalty decision from the officials, Alexandra Szarvas did not want to be too critical but conceded that her team wished for better. “I do not usually like to talk about referees, but the level was unfortunately very low. I do not believe it was a penalty at all, whereas we had at least two penalty shouts that were dismissed. However, in the end this is football and I always go back to our game. We must score our chances.”
Despite this, the Hungarian coach praised the overall break in setting her team toward the upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League, “I think these two games were a good preparation for what is coming in the Nations League. There are strong teams in our group, but we came with the target of concentrating on our philosophy and I think the girls did a really good job in these ten days. I think it was very useful for us to play against Malta, it was two good games for our team and I hope for Malta too.”
Captain’s Inspiration & A Shining Debut
Despite friendlies not putting up any points for grabs, Tuesday’s match laid a platform for players to standout in their respective paths for their national teams. Two players that stood out were Malta’s Giulia D’Antuono, as well as Hungary’s captain Henrietta Csiszar.
Giulia D’Antuono made her official senior debut for Malta, with a stellar performance that will give Manuela Tesse and her staff further headaches for selection.
The young goalkeeper showed excitement but also maturity in her response on her debut, “It was a busy match for me and I’m very happy about the performance overall. I’m grateful to the team because they’ve supported me both on and off the pitch.”
Questioned about the road ahead, with the looming UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures and an opportunity very much up for grabs, she continued, “This is of course only the beginning, it is just one step. However, yes overall it continues to increase the motivation to continue working hard. I know my goal is to continue further to also fight for a place to play in the upcoming Nations League.”
At the other end of the spectrum, was Henrietta Csiszar who utilised her experience effectively to orchestrate in Hungary’s midfield. She also got the side’s only goal in the match on Tuesday.
Having created so many but got little reward, Hungary’s skipper was probed on whether in the match she believed the goal would give her side the momentum needed to get an even stronger lead midway through the match and dealing with the set-backs.
Henrietta Csiszar replied, “We created many chances in the first half, but I think Malta’s goalkeeper and defence did a great job, while we also could have done better with the passes in the final phase. I was happy to score the goal and was focused on pushing the team to get more. Unfortunately there was the penalty, but we still kept creating more chances. However, the goalkeeper did a great job.”
Despite perhaps disappointment in the result, Hungary’s captain was positive about the team’s utilisation of the international break. “Overall it was positive, we changed the system and I think we have a great group of players. These two matches were great to practice new things and to grow our team spirit ahead of the upcoming games.”
The two nations will return in the UEFA Women’s Nations League to kick-start in February. Malta will compete in League C against Cyprus, Georgia and Andorra. Meanwhile, Hungary will compete in League B against Belarus, Finland and Serbia.
Until then, players return to their clubs for domestic fixtures. Malta’s Assikura Women’s League return this Saturday 7th with the double-header at Dingli Ground, as Valletta face leaders Hibernians (14:00), followed by the bottom of the table clash between Lija Athletic and Mtarfa (16:30).
The next weekend also presents the first taste of silverware for the season in Malta for Birkirkara or Swieqi United in the Super Cup. The Centenary Stadium will play host to the final on Sunday 8th at 14:00. Tickets are available for purchase online.
Lead Image: Visuals by Brandon Bonett
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