Haiti End Training Camp With Dominant Display Against Malta

Nicolas Delepine’s side delivered a strong first-half performance that gave way to a 5-0 victory against Malta. Haiti led by 4-0 at half-time thanks to goals by Ketna Louis, Batcheba Louis, Roselord Borghella, and Nerilia Mondesir. Malta’s Patricia Ebejer denied Ketna Louis from the penalty spot in the second half before Dayana Pierre-Louis rounded things off in the 75th minute.

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Nicolas Delepine chose a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kerly Theus gave way to Lara Larco in goal. Meanwhile, the defensive duo of Tabita Joseph and Jenyyfer Limage were flanked by Ruthny Mathurin on the left, and Chelsea Surpris on the right. Ketna Louis and Sherly Jeudy sat in front of the defense, with Dayana Pierre-Louis further forward. Captain Nerilia Mondesir occupied the left wing, while Batcheba Louis took the right. Veteran Roselord Borghella was the furthest forward. Melchie Dumornay was reported to miss the match due to muscle injury.

Meanwhile, Manuela Tesse opted for first-choice goalkeeper Janice Xuereb. She was protected by Emma Lipman and Jessica Dimech. Emma Xuereb occupied the left-back role, whilst Rebecca Bajada started on the right. Rachel Cuschieri, Shona Zammit, and Nicole Sciberras occupied the midfield. Maya Lucia started on the right wing, while Maria Farrugia took the left wing. Yulya Carella made her senior debut as the central striker.

Ketna Louis & Batcheba Louis Give Haiti Solid Lead

Delepine’s side set out with a clear aim to attack the wings and use their pace to flood the box with crosses. The first dangerous cross arrived from left-back Ruthny Mathurin, however, the header was hit towards the floor, allowing Malta’s goalkeeper Janice Xuereb to collect.

Haiti’s captain Nerilia Mondesir, started churning through the gears on the left wing shortly after. Ten minutes into the half she delivered two crosses within a minute of each other. She found Roselord Borghella with the first who miscued the shot before Shona Zammit made an excellent interception on the second to deny Haiti another attempt on the second cross. Batcheba Louis got in on the action a few minutes later but Nicole Sciberras blocked the shot for a corner. Sherly Jeudy took charge but the header was skied.

However, the Haitians kept up the pressure and found their opening goal just after the quarter of an hour mark. Ketna Louis rose to meet a corner delivery from Jeudy, slotting the ball just inside the left post. Louis towered above the Maltese defence, but still, Tesse’s side will be disappointed to concede it despite having a marker at the post.

The ease with which Mondesir was getting past on the left wing, prompted Tesse to swap Emma Xuereb and Rebecca Bajada around the twenty-minute mark. As the half wore on, both Emma Lipman and Jessica Dimech were on the trot in an attempt to block shots from crosses, whilst the midfield trio often chipped in to add bodies in the box in aid of the defence. Though limited in possession, Malta attempted to up the ante and move further forward. Rachel Cuschieri fired a ball towards Maria Farrugia who had made the run into the box, but the number ten failed to get a touch to direct it goalward.

However, the relief from pressure did not last long, and Haiti doubled their lead thanks to Batcheba Louis. The Fleury 91 player skipped past three markers on the wing before striking at goal and finding the back of the net. Despite the pace of the ball, the goalkeeper will no doubt be disappointed not to have done better considering the tightest of angles did not favour the strike.

Borghella & Mondesir Extend Margin

The attempts kept piling, both Jeudy and Borghella tried shots from outside the box, both of which were off-target. Meanwhile, Manuela Tesse opted for another swap, pushing Lucia out front, while Carella slotted in her preferred right-wing role. The change was presumably in an attempt to place more pressure on Haiti’s captain Mondesir who was still causing all sorts of trouble.

The third goal came thanks to a linkup between Mondesir and Borghella in the 37^th minute. The captain displayed clever feet to get past her marker on the left wing, before delivering a peach of a ball to which Borghella obliged by finding the back of the net. Batcheba Louis delivered another dangerous ball a minute later, but this time Rachel Cuschieri throttled back to the defense from her midfield role to deflect to a corner.

The Haitians kept up the pressure, whilst Malta struggled to maintain hold of the ball. The visitors appeared hasty in possession, often relinquishing it with miscued or over-hit passes. There were a few good link-ups between Rachel Cuschieri , Shona Zammit and Yulya Carella in particular, but further afield Haiti’s defence was quick to snuff out the danger.

Nerilia Mondesir got the fourth goal just on the fifth and final minute of injury time. The captain sat patiently out wide to receive the loose ball, before driving inside towards the six-yard box. She placed a low ball into the net from a tight angle to send Malta trailing by four goals in the break, with her final act of the evening.

Half-Time Score: Haiti 4 – 0 Malta

Half-Time Substitutions Change the Dynamic

Both coaches opted to make changes in the break. Haiti’s Nicolas Delepine gave an early rest to standout Nerilia Mondesir, together with Sherly Jeudy and Chelsea Surpris. Meanwhile, Manuela Tesse opted to give Georgiana Mifsud her senior debut, who slotted in the right-back role replacing Rebecca Bajada. Patricia Ebejer also replaced Janice Xuereb in goal. Xuereb required some treatment after the half-hour mark but appeared to be fit to continue, thus making it unclear whether she was taken off as a precaution or if the substitution was in Tesse’s playbook all along.

Brenda Borg was also brought onto the field in replacement of Yulya Carella as the central forward, but her introduction was shortlived as she was clipped on the turn, forcing Tesse into another substitution just ten minutes into the second half. The Italian brought on Dorianne Theuma who slotted into midfield, whilst Maria Farrugia became the one further forward for the side.

Ketna Louis looped a dangerous ball from a free kick in the 52^nd minute, but Ebejer was well-positioned to collect. Meanwhile, Malta earned their first corner following a solid counter-attack. Georgiana Mifsud and Emma Lipman both shored up the defence, before Shona Zammit came out with the ball. She picked out Maria Farrugia who was on her bike against her markers and earned the corner on the dribble. Cuschieri and Farrugia linked with the short corner but Haiti came away with the ball launched into the box.  

Penalty Heroics Lift Malta and Mifsud Shines on Debut

Patricia Ebejer was called into action in the 63^rd minute with the task of denying Ketna Louis a chance to add to her tally from the penalty spot. She rose to the challenge and got a strong palm on the strike to parry it before the defense cleared the lines. Meanwhile, Georgiana Mifsud did her chances of making a second senior cap no harm by excelling on the right throughout the half, including against Batcheba Louis for the first period of the second half before the forward was rested.

The Maltese asserted more of a presence in midfield for the ten minutes following the saved penalty, in what was one of their best spells of the match on the ball. There was good link-up play as the midfield trio of Cuschieri, Zammit and Theuma orchestrated to find Maria Farrugia out front. However, the lack of a natural number nine hurt the side in creating any meaningful chances to threaten the goal. Dayana Pierre-Louis got the final goal of the match in the 75^th minute with a low strike taken on the edge of the box that nestled into the left side of the goal.  

Ylenia Carabott made an appearance from the bench in Rachel Cuschieri’s stead shortly after, while Maia Debono made an appearance for the final five minutes of the match on the right wing instead of Maya Lucia.

Dorianne Theuma released Maria Farrugia on the wing just on the eighty-minute mark, but Farrugia attempted one too many dribbles which allowed Haiti to crowd her out. In the 87^th minute, Jessica Dimech launched a ball for Carabott to chase but Haiti’s centre-back was alert to it. At the other end, Haiti threatened with a shot from a corner delivery that sailed just above the cross-bar, and also had two free-kick opportunities on the widths at the edge of the box but could not add to their tally.

Final Score: Haiti 5 – 0 Malta

Photo: Malta FA