Malta Slide Into Victory Against Moldova

Malta secured a 2-0 victory against Moldova on a rainy night at the Centenary Stadium, thanks to a brace from Haley Bugeja. The spectacle was played in front of a strong crowd despite the adverse conditions. Malta’s coach Manuela Tesse and Haley Bugeja provided thoughts on the encounters, the support and the road ahead. Moldova’s coach Nicolae Bunea also provided his first thoughts about the match.

Team News

Malta’s Manuela Tesse kept Janice Xuereb in goal. There was one change in defence from the encounter against Latvia, with Stephania Farrugia replacing Charlene Zammit in the centre of defence alongside captain Emma Lipman. Emma Xuereb and Ann-Marie Said retained their positions on the flanks. Brenda Borg was also introduced in the midfield, alongside Nicole Sciberras and Rachel Cuschieri, while Shona Zammit dropped to the bench. In attack, Alishia Sultana and Ylenia Carabott got the nod to replace Raina Giusti and the injured Maria Farrugia. Haley Bugeja completed the attack.

Moldova’s Nicolae Bunea made a change between the sticks, bringing in Denisa Bojenco instead of Evghenia Dumic. There were no changes in the defence, where he maintained the centre-back partnership of Felicia Gutu and Madalina Badiceanu, while Anastasia Sivolobova and Valeria Virlan continued to provide the width. The captain Cristina Cerescu retained her place alongside Irina Topal, together with the forwards Claudia Chiper and Nadejda Colescnicenco. There were two changes up front, with Anastasia Cernitu slotting in the number ten role replacing Anastasia Toma, and Carolina Tabur sitting in the wide right role, replacing Iuliana Colnic in the first-eleven.

In light of the tragic passing of Violeta Mitul, the Malta National Team presented a token of solidarity with the Moldovan team before the opening of the match.

Slippery Opening Half

The opening of the match was not only signalled by the referee’s whistle but also by heavy rainfall which had players drenched within minutes and made for a slippery and tricky surface. Despite this, the teams appeared to try to settle into their stride and it was Malta who took the stance to try to control possession, while Moldova were penned back into their half.

A shot by Alishia Sultana was blocked in the early minutes, while Malta attempted to get midfielders to crowd the penalty box. Haley Bugeja almost teed up Rachel Cuschieri in the opening ten minutes, but the pass was intercepted by the defence. A similar chance developed after around a quarter of an hour, this time Ann-Marie Said launching a ball into Brenda Borg who headed it goalward but there was not enough power to trouble the goalkeeper Denisa Bojenco.

Moldova were forced into a subsitution shortly after due to injury for Irina Topal. She was replaced by Carina Doiban who settled into the left wing, while Nadejda Colescnicenco moved into the centre defensive midfield position.

The visitors had a good chance after half an hour of play with Nadejda Colescnicenco finding Claudia Chiper, who did well to release a low ball into Carina Doiban to run into the penalty area. However, Emma Lipman shielded the ball before Ann-Marie Said hoofed to safety.

At the other end, Malta’s Brenda Borg managed to make some space for a strike from outside the penalty area but saw it fly above the crossbar. Alishia Sultana also drifted inside and tried to get Ylenia Carabott behind the defence, but Denisa Bojenco was alert to the danger. The team also had a number of set-pieces but could not truly trouble the defence. Manuela Tesse also decided to swap Haley Bugeja and Alishia Sultana out on the wing to try to get more purchase.

Meanwhile, Moldova’s press rang alarm bells for the Maltese team at the forty-second minute. Goalkeeper Janice Xuereb attempted to dribble past an on-rushing attacker, only to hand the ball to the arriving Carolina Tabur, however the goalkeeper recovered to block the shot for a corner. Colesnicenco headed the delivery toward the net, but Xuereb was positioned well to collect. A final free-kick for Malta saw Rachel Cuschieri launch forward, finding Stephania Farrugia who knocked it down for the shot. Haley Bugeja attempted a rebound from Emma Lipman’s original effort, but once again Bojenco was well positioned to collect.

Half-Time Score: Malta 0 – 0 Moldova

Malta Break The Deadlock

Moldova’s Nicolae Bunea made a second change at the break, bringing on Anastasia Toma in replacement of Anastasia Cernitu in a straight swap. However, she did not have time to settle much before Malta found the opening goal.

Brenda Borg continued to reward her selection and did well to get into a pocket of space before sending a precise pass to find the run of Haley Bugeja, who was darting into the box from the wing. The forward took it into her stride before firing low into the net, sending the home crowd on their feet.

The team had an opportunity from a free-kick shortly after, however Ylenia Carabott’s header from the edge of the penalty area was wide of the mark. Meanwhile, Moldova were on the charge for an equaliser. However, attempts to trouble the Maltese defence through set-pieces proved futile. Carolina Tabur was a strong outlet for the team on the right wing, but crosses into the box were often defended by the Maltese centre-backs with little challenge.

A Two-Goal Cushion

The second goal came in the 58th minute. Alishia Sultana initiated the press on the wide defender, who was forced back to the goalkeeper. Haley Bugeja joined in on the press on the goalkeeper, whose attempted pass went straight into the feet of Malta’s number twenty one. Bugeja dribbled past the rushing defenders, and despite almost being fouled in the process, rolled the ball into the net. She was engulfed by the team in celebration before rushing toward the home crowd to celebrate with a Rapinoe-sque celebration.

Manuela Tesse looked to her bench for the first time immediately after, bringing on Maya Lucia in a straight swap with Alishia Sultana. Nicolae Bunea responded shortly after with two changes. Valeria Virlan gave way to Daniela Mardari who slotted into the right-back role, pushing Anastasia Sivolobova to the left. Meanwhile, Claudia Chiper was replaced by Iuliana Colnic in a straight swap out front.

The home team continued to press high to destabilise the Moldovan defence, but could not truly trouble with the final pass. At the other end, Moldova did well to win the ball in midfield around the seventieth minute, before launching into a counter-attack. Although Stephania Farrugia got a touch on an initial ball, it sent it straight to Carolina Tabur. However, Farrugia recovered well to block Tabur’s cross for a corner.

The set-piece was well defended but resulted in a foul at the edge of the penalty area handing Moldova a chance to strike on goal from a dangerous position. Anastasia Toma took charge of the kick, but the wall did its job.

Although Malta had a two-goal lead, Manuela Tesse could be seen urging the team forward despite this. She brought on Leah Ayres for the final quarter of an hour of the match, who replaced Ylenia Carabott in a straight swap. Meanwhile, Nicole Sciberras was injured in a tackle and so gave way to Shona Zammit.

The 82nd minute saw Maya Lucia deliver an inswinging cross into Shona Zammit, whose header was parried away for a corner. Malta had other chances, with Rachel Cuschieri feeding a ball into Stephania Farrugia whose shot was blocked, while Emma Lipman also surged forward in the latter minutes but the pass by Haley Bugeja was snuffed out by the goalkeeper.

At the other end, Moldova tried to make something of a free-kick delivery but could not trouble the defence, before an attempt to get Anastasia Toma behind the defence was pulled back for offside.

Final Score: Malta 2 – 0 Moldova

Post-Match Reactions

Probed about his first thoughts following the disappointing result, Moldova’s Nicolo Bunea said, “Yes, it was not the result we expected. We made two mistakes and conceded two goals. However, we had better control of the ball as opposed to our match against Andorra. Also, besides the two mistakes where we conceded the goals, the defence did a good job today.”

Asked about her thoughts following the win, Malta’s coach Manuela Tesse said, “Today, the players played very well. They left their hearts on the pitch because they were also playing in front of a strong crowd. Now they cannot wait to come to Malta to play good football.”

Malta scored the opening goal minutes into the second half. Probed about her half-time team talk, the coach praised her technical team, “We have a very good staff, so we have the possibility to analyze what is happening in the match immediately. We understood we needed one player between the midfield and the Moldovan defence. So we told Brenda Borg to take the position and we scored immediately.”

The win takes Malta top of the group after the two opening games, with maximum points and two clean sheets. Asked whether this meets her expectations from these matches, Tesse kept feet on the ground, “Of course we have to keep preparing better for the matches against Andorra, there are always things to improve. I think the matches against Andorra will be very important for our journey.”

Meanwhile, goalscorer Haley Bugeja has made it three goals in two matches in the UEFA Women’s Nations League. Probed about the tally and the fact that the team has secured maximum points, she said, “Of course I am happy to have scored these goals in both games to help the team get these points. However, it would not be possible for me to do this without their support.” Despite this, the forward is keeping eyes on the prize continuing, “I hope we keep up this positive run so that we can get into League B.”

Bugeja was also asked about the feeling of achieving that victory in front of a strong crowd, who stayed despite the rainy conditions. She said, “It was a great feeling to see the stands full with supporters and our families and friends. I think the rain made the whole experience a bit more emotional. I think today’s match shows that it is time to promote women’s football more so that we can get more people in the stadium.”

Asked a similar question on the support, coach Manuela Tesse noted the support from the crowd and also the Malta Football Federation (MFA) in the lead-up to the match, “We had a nice crowd today. Before the match, the players also spoke with the President of the MFA and they felt that MFA is close to them. Considering this, together with seeing the supporters today, I think as a player you cannot wait to play when you have all of these things coming together in the right way.”

Photos: Lara Schembri

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