by Malta will welcome Bosnia & Herzegovina in the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers tonight at the Centenary Stadium, at 19:30. Coaches Manuela Tesse and Selver Hodzic suggest that the match may be as close as the ones before it, while the historic nature of the match is multi-layered as maiden victories are on the cards for both. Maltese veteran Dorianne Theuma weighed in on the growth of the teams over the twenty-years of encounters and the significance of this final match in her career.
Hitting The Half-Way Mark
Malta will welcome Bosnia & Herzegovina for the first of two fixtures to be played over five days. The two teams currently sit third and fourth in Group B3, with one point for Malta, while Bosnia & Herzegovina seek their first. Leading the group are Portugal, having won both fixtures in the opening round, while the Northern Ireland currently have four points following a draw with Malta and a win over Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Malta’s Manuela Tesse has urged her team to utilise home advantage, while sticking to the style of play that the side has developed under her leadership. The Italian noted the importance of the matches for both teams and praised the commitment from the players as they head into this double-header.
Asked about expectations of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s strategy, the Italian noted that the recent arrival of coach Selver Hodzic stirs the plot despite history between the two nations, “The coach arrived just at the start of these qualifications, but the team has shown very good organisation. I think he has quickly found the balance in the team and changed some positions of players from the past. However, as a national team coach you don’t have a lot of time with your players so cannot make big changes very quickly. We have planned for different approaches, I believe we are ready.”
Meanwhile, Bosnia & Herzegovina’s coach, Selver Hodzic, rejected a focus on results, instead looking to get his philosophy across since taking charge. He said, “I’m a new coach, so I wanted to get to know the team better in the first two matches. I now know how my players think and how they approach situations. I don’t look at the result, first I want to give my players confidence, that we trust each other and that we know where we want to go.”
Looking at the match, Selver Hodzic continued, “We know how we want to play. We have studied Malta and they are a very good team. I like how they play and they’ve grown a lot in the past few years. I believe we are ready, but I think it will be a close one.”
Growth & Familiarity
Although the two teams will play each other for the first time under the leadership of Manuela Tesse & Selver Hodzic, this will be the tenth meet between the two nations. The last match was in 2021, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Bosnia & Herzegovina. There have been two draws, while Bosnia & Herzegovina have won all other fixtures, albeit always with a close scoreline.
Dorianne Theuma has been the constant throughout all nine matches and weighed in on what could be a determining factor for Malta going forward, “The scores were always close, but I think recently Bosnia & Herzegovina have done better. On the other hand, Maltese players have also grown since the last match, we are more confident and ready for such encounters. So, I believe that in the coming days we can secure a positive result.”
Besides knowing each other from previous fixtures, there are a few who have spent the past few months donning the same club shirt. Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Maja Jelcic and Marija Milinkovic both play for Inter, as does Malta’s Haley Bugeja. However, Selver Hodzic suggested that the two nations play a very different game to the Nerazzurri, “There’s a different style of play and also the two teams have other players with different qualities. So, I don’t think this has too much of an effect.”
Emotions Running High
The match will mark an emotional farewell to Malta’s most decorated player, Dorianne Theuma. Asked about approaching this final match, she said, “I want to enjoy every moment of this final international window, every training session, every moment with the players because I know it will be the last.”
The veteran summed up the twenty-one years as a national team player and the twenty-seven year career, “I feel that I was a very lucky person in terms of injuries. I’ve been lucky to be with the national team since it’s start. There were good moments and also some bad ones, but I think you learn from everything. I’m very happy to have reached 117 games, when you consider that in the beginning we barely had any official friendlies organised and maybe played six matches every two years. I sacrificed a lot to get here but I have no regrets.”
However, the historic nature of the match extends further. Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Selver Hodzic seeks to get his team off the mark and secure a maiden victory since taking over. Meanwhile, Malta are searching for a first victory against this opponent, which would also mark a first victory in League B since earning promotion last December.
The crowd has its own targets as the attendances for the games of the Women’s National Team continue creeping up. The previous match, against Portugal, was attended by a total of 1,026 spectators, just twenty-seven short of the current attendance record for a women’s football match in Malta.
If there’s one thing that previous matches have delivered, it is plenty of drama and late goals too. The two camps suggest a similar encounter awaits. The match begins at 19:30 and will be played at the Centenary Stadium. Tickets are available online or at the gates, while those unable to make it to the stands can watch on TVM Sports+. The other match in the group will pit Portugal against the Northern Ireland, beginning at 21:45.
Lead Images: Dorienne Grech / Bosnia & Herzegovina FA
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