by Clint Tabone’s U16 Women’s National Team selection will be taking on Montenegro, Bulgaria and Andorra in the UEFA U16 Development Tournament to be held in Malta from today until Saturday.
Match Details
The first match in the UEFA U16 tournament will be played between Bulgaria and Andorra at 10 am today at the Centenary Stadium. The Maltese contingent will be kickstarting their proceedings against Montenegro at 13:00 at the same location.
The second matches will be played just two days later, on the 4th April. Malta will be playing at the same lunchtime kick-off, against Bulgaria. Malta’s team will culminate their commitments on Saturday at 10 am against Andorra. All matches will be played at the Centenary Stadium, and will also be broadcast on TVM Sports+.
Clint Tabone continues to take charge of the Maltese side, with the intention of building them into future senior national team players. The players will go into the international commitments following the end of their domestic commitments that culminated with the BNF Women’s Knockout final held on the 24th March.
The Selection
Maya Muscat (Hibernians) returns alongside Julia Zarb (Lija Athletic / Lija Sliema) in the goalkeeping department. The two were also part of the selection in the UEFA Women’s U17 EURO Qualification Matches held in Malta last February.
There are also returnees from that tournament in the defensive unit. Among them are Swieqi United’s U16 captain Ilona Abela and Birkirkara’s skipper Maia Gauci, as well as Hibernians’ Amber Galea. Gauci is accompanied by teammate Krista Sacco, while Swieqi United’s Amy Portelli and Tea Kimamo complete the list alongside San Gwann’s Shanneil Farrugia.
Swieqi United’s Kay Axiak spearheads the midfield selection. She is joined by Birkirkara’s Lara Azzopardi and Ana Mercieca. Hibernians’ Alanah Ghio makes the selection alongside San Gwann’s Thais Muscat. SKMM’s Izabella Stringer completes the midfield line-up, alongside Nina-Lee Naudi who plays her football in Italy with Sampdoria.
The attacking line-up is composed of four players. Valletta’s Hannah Fenech is joined by San Gwann’s Mariah Micallef, as well as the Hibernians’ duo of Yasmine Ghenam and Olivia Nazarko.
All players have featured in the U16 domestic competitions, with several also making inroads at U19 level, once eligible. A select few have featured at senior team level, thus bringing further experience into the team. Those having featured at U19 and senior team level also bring an understanding of playing in the expansive Centenary Stadium.
As noted above, the Maltese team will play their first match against Montenegro at 13:00 today. The match will also be broadcast on TVM Sports+.
Lead Image: Malta FA
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