Malta Edge Out Victory Over Latvia In Opening Match

Malta secured three points in their opening UEFA Women’s Nations League match against Latvia, thanks to a lone goal by Haley Bugeja. The Latvians will feel hard done by, having been denied by the woodwork three times in the match. However, Latvian coach Roman Kvacovs was encouraged by the creativity shown, while Malta’s coach Manuela Tesse heaped praise on the collective effort to secure the victory.

Team News

Latvia’s Roman Kavocs started with captain Enija-Anna Vaivode in goal. Anastasija Rocane partnered Anna Flakse in the centre of defence, while Sofija Garanca and Paula Linina. Viktorija Zaicikova and Anna Kristine Gornela occupied the centre of midfield, behind Karlina Miksone who had a more of a free-role. Diana Suvitra and Olga Sevcova provided the width, while Anstasija Poluhovica was the furthest forward.

Malta’s Manuela Tesse stuck with the experience of Janice Xuereb in goal. She was protected by captain Emma Lipman and Charlene Zammit. Ann-Marie Said and Emma Xuereb provided the width. The trio of Rachel Cuschieri, Nicole Sciberras and Shona Zammit started in midfield. Meanwhile, Maria Farrugia and Raina Giusti flanked Haley Bugeja in attack.

No Purchase In Opening Half

Malta looked to settle early on the ball and disrupt the hosts. They almost struck gold within the first two minutes of the match when Haley Bugeja’s cross was deflected into the path of Shona Zammit at the edge of the box. Unfortunately her strike hit a teammate, which took the chance away.

Although the visitors appeared to have settled well into pressing Latvia, the hosts responded with a good chance of their own in the tenth minute. Anastasija Poluhovica drove a cross into Karlina Miksone, who picked out Viktorija Zaicikova’s run in the penalty box. However, her shot was blocked by Emma Lipman.

Manuela Tesse opted to swap out Maria Farrugia and Raina Giusti in attack shortly after, while Malta had opportunities to threaten from several free-kick and corner kick opportunities. However, they were unable to trouble the defence. In open play, both sides appeared to get into the final third and ping crosses into the box, but the defences stood strong once more to deny the chances.

The twenty-fifth minute mark almost saw Haley Bugeja release Raina Giusti with a low ball behind the two centre-backs but a slightly overcooked pass allowed Vaivode to snuff out the attack. At the other end, Miksone continued causing plenty of trouble for Malta’s defence. She found Zaicikova’s run again close to the forty-minute mark but the latter skied the shot. Miksone herself struck a curler from the left wing after rolling her marker, but she could not get enough bend to trouble the goalkeeper, sending the two teams locked level in the break.

Half-Time Score: Latvia 0 – 0 Malta

Latvia Hit Post

Karlina Miksone picked up right where she left off in the first half. She lobbed two markers to get herself in a good position in the box, but a final attempt to loop a ball into the far corner of the net had too much height on it.

A couple of minutes later Malta responded through Haley Bugeja who attempted to play Nicole Sciberras behind the defence, aided by a deflection from the defence. However, the Latvian back-line managed to recover and clear for a corner, though there were appeals by Sciberras who felt she was pulled back in the box. The fifty-third minute saw Bugeja get free from her marker before surging forward and sending a perfectly weighted ball toward Raina Giusti who was free on the wing. However, the chance ebbed away as she struck first time and got underneath it.

Latvia started knocking on the door with Karlina Miksone and Olga Sevcova both attempting to wrong foot Malta’s goalkeeper Janice Xuereb. Latvia hit the crossbar for the first time in the 57th minute, as Diana Suvitra played a pass into Olga Sevcova who made the run into the box, but she was denied by the woodwork.

Manuela Tesse looked to her bench shortly after, bringing on Brenda Borg in a straight swap with Shona Zammit. Raina Giusti also made way for Leah Ayres, who slotted into the centre of attack while Haley Bugeja occupied the right wing role vacated by Giusti. The duo settled well, with Ayres managing to sneak in a shot within a few minutes on the pitch, but the goalkeeper Vaivode was equal to it. Malta continued to try to find an opener and came close in the seventieth minute. Cuschieri played a ball into Bugeja, who cut onto her left foot but did not get the right connection and saw her strike go wide from six yards.

Latvia Pile More Pressure

Having already come very close, Latvia were denied by the post twice more. The 75th minute saw Sevcova try another strike from distance which Janice Xuereb palmed over for a corner. Latvia’s number fourteen delivered straight into the post. A couple of minutes later Malta landed in hot water as the hosts launched a long-ball. Lipman met it with a miscued header that sent it back toward her goalkeeper. With Latvia’s striker breathing down her neck and outside the penalty area, Xuereb took a touch which sent the ball even closer to her net before making it hers in the box, though Latvia will feel they should have made more of the opportunity.

Mistakes appeared to be piling for the visitors as poorly wasted possession in midfield sent the defence on the back-foot once more. Miksone continued to be right in the thick of it, but as she made her way into the box, the centre-back pairing of Charlene Zammit and Emma Lipman both closed in to block for a corner. The Latvians piled into the six-yard box, crowding out the goalkeeper before Sevcova saw her third effort hit the woodwork in the eightieth minute.

Malta Turn The Tide

Having seen the attempts get closer and closer, the Maltese team appeared to spring into action and found the opening goal two minutes later, against the momentum of the match. Ann-Marie Said delivered a dangerous cross which the goalkeeper Vaivode palmed for a corner that set in motion the goal. Said delivered into the box, which was dealt with by the defence before Rachel Cuschieri looped a second ball toward the far post. Haley Bugeja got a right boot on it on the stretch to send it rolling low into the gaping net. The goalkeeper will be disappointed to have come out for the ball and gotten nothing on it.

Manuela Tesse looked to shore up the defence three minutes later, bringing on Stephania Farrugia instead of Maria Farrugia, to ensure the side maintained the lead. She slotted next to Charlene Zammit, while captain Emma Lipman moved slightly further afield to provide extra protection in midfield.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s Roman Kvacovs brought on Katrina Danilova who replaced Sofija Garanca, while Anastasija Poluhovica gave way to Amelija Lipsane. Despite this, Malta managed to hold on to their lead by running down the clock until the full-time whistle.

Final Score: Latvia 0 – 1 Malta

Post Match Reactions & Next Matches

Despite the loss, Latvia’s coach Roman Kvacovs heaped praise on the creativity of his team saying, “I believe that the quality of our game is growing with each game. We create more goal-scoring opportunities in each subsequent game.” However, he noted that on the day the final execution was lacking to convert the action into goals, Kvacovs said “I can’t blame the team for the content of the game. The only thing that disappointed is the conversion of the moments.”

Meanwhile, Malta’s Manuela Tesse noted the growth of the women’s game in Europe, which she said was evident in the level of football displayed by the two teams, making it a tough battle to earn the three points. She said, “We fought against Latvia. They are a very good team with very good forwards. We took the win but we had to work a lot.”

It was a tricky match for the visitors, and their coach heaped praise on them for their fortitude to stick out the tough moments before securing the victory with the late goal. “We showed resilience, never gave up and the players showed that they wanted to win. Yes, Haley scored the goal, but it was the will of the group together that got the win.”

The coach added that playing away also added another struggle against the vocal home support. She noted that the team will celebrate the win on the night, before setting sights on the next match against Moldova.

Group C1 sees Malta and Andorra each take three points off their opponents in the opening matches of the UEFA Women’s Nations League. Malta will welcome Moldova next Tuesday 26th September at the Centenary Stadium (20:00). Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.

Meanwhile, Andorra will welcome Latvia at 19:00 on the same day.

Lead Image: Malta FA

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