by Bosnia & Herzegovina secured a late victory against Malta on Friday, courtesy of a header by Milena Nikolic. Coaches Manuela Tesse and Selver Hodzic provided their assessments on the match. Captains Emma Lipman and Milena Nikolic provided their take, together with Malta’s midfielder Shona Zammit, as the two teams eye the reverse fixture in just a few days time.
Assessment of the Battle
Bosnia & Herzegovina sealed their first three points in the group with a late winner on Friday at the Centenary Stadium. The match marked Selver Hodzic’s first victory since taking charge of the Bosnia & Herzegovina women’s national team.
Fresh off the pitch, Malta’s Manuela Tesse felt her team deserved a point on the night, “I think we created chances, so I think the fair result would have been a draw. It is of course difficult to take a defeat when conceding a goal in the 89th minute.” Diving deeper into the chances created, Tesse continued, “I think we were reluctant to shoot or we made the wrong decisions in the final third. If I’m honest I think today we were too selfish and if we want to achieve something, we have to play together.”
Despite this, Malta’s coach did note positives in the encounter, “I think looking at past performances, we were better in the build-up and we improved in this respect. At times we lacked the final ball or did not have the right weight on it, but we did create chances.”
Captain Emma Lipman gave a measured response, “If I’m honest I think we were expecting the physicality but I don’t feel we got our game going really. When there’s so many individual errors, it becomes a problem and then it becomes a bit disjointed. Despite this, we created opportunities and we still had moments. However, in a game like that, if you can’t score, at least don’t concede, and unfortunately we did.”
Malta’s midfielder Shona Zammit gave her perspective on the physical encounter and echoed the sentiments, “I think both teams were hungry for the points, especially looking at the standings in the group, as well as the fact we will meet again on Tuesday. I think we knew that they are a team who are physically strong and fit, so we were prepared for this while attempting to utilise on our own strengths. It is tough to take a defeat at the final moments, but this is the reality in such matches where mistakes are penalised.”
Meanwhile, Bosnia & Herzegovina’s coach Selver Hodzic provided his own assessment, “It was a very tough game. I think my team played a good match, with lots of energy and positivity. I think we tried to play good football and created good chances. I think in the end Malta also had a good chance, but I think at the end of the day we merited the win.”
Hodzic acknowledged that though the intent to cross the ball into the box was there, it took time for the final ball to come together for his team. “Yes, I think we crossed close to seven times in the first half which could have been a bit better, always maybe one metre more or less than we needed, but we got it right in the end. It’s football, you make some mistakes and the team who makes the most mistakes loses the game.”
Both coaches opted to make switches in the positions, but Bosnia & Herzegovina’s was more extensive in rotating the entire front line. Probed about whether this was part of the plan, Selver Hodzic replied, “It was something we prepared and after thirty minutes we thought it was the time to do this. It was a good decision.”
Meanwhile, captain Milena Nikolic is no stranger to playing against Malta and in fact registered her fourth goal against the nation by heading the all-important goal on the night, in her fifth appearance against Malta. Probed about the tendency of late goals to decide the matches between the two, Nikolic said, “I think it is true but I also think that we played better than last time. I have to say Malta are also growing with each year as well, which is good for women’s football. However, I think we also made forward steps in the past years. Today we created chances and I’m happy to have scored and that we got the win.”
A Farewell & A Debut
Meanwhile, there were two opposing stories on the pitch as the final minutes rolled on. At forty-years old, Malta’s Dorianne Theuma entered the field for one final time, making her 118th appearance at national team level, while Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Andrea Cule made her first appearance at twenty-two years of age.
Dorianne Theuma’s final entrance came at perhaps the most inopportune time as it immediately followed Bosnia & Herzegovina’s goal. Despite this, the veteran has been one of the leaders in pushing the women’s game forward in Malta and took to the pitch with the determination of helping the team earn an even later equaliser. However, it was not to be on the night, with the combination for a goal still eluding Malta until the final whistle.
Having shared the pitch for several years at club and country level with Dorianne Theuma, Shona Zammit summed up the veteran’s impact on the sport and her own journey in it, “One game certainly does not justify a career, of course looking at all her achievements, one can only celebrate it. It is difficult for me to see a player like her stop playing. I’ve learned a lot from her and she helped me mature in my game. Today was an emotional day and if I’m honest having also played at club level, it will be strange to play the game without having her on the pitch. However, hopefully she can continue to guide me in another way.”
On the other hand, Bosnia & Herzegovina introduced twenty-two year old Andrea Cule who made her first appearance at senior national team level. Selver Hodzic addressed the decision, “It was her first time in the camp and she trained well. She was aggressive and deserved to play today.”
Preparation For The Upcoming Match
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday. Asked about the outlook for the match, Selver Hodzic replied, “Despite achieving the win we still need to analyse this game because we also made mistakes. Of course we must assess the condition of the players and how fit they are for Tuesday’s match and we take it from there.”
Despite the defeat, Malta’s captain, Emma Lipman, is rallying the troops toward the upcoming battle, “We know what they’re all about. We are capable, but we must clean up our individual mistakes, be more clinical in front of goal and avoid conceding. I think as a team we’ve grown in professionalism and part of that is in having the character to show a reaction. Fortunately, we can do it in a few days time. So, we shall focus on our recovery and then go and pick up some points.”
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday at the FF BH Football Training Centre in Zenica, with kick-off at 16:00 CET. The match will also be broadcast live for those unable to watch from the stands.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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