by The match between Malta & Andorra ended in a much closer score of 1 – 0 this time round. Manuela Tesse & Albert Panadero Garcia gave contrasting views on what most contributed to the closer scoreline. Malta’s Shona Zammit gave a subdued response on earning the winning goal for the team, while Lexine Farrugia acknowledged the teammate support on her first senior start. Andorra’s Teresa Armengol was proud to be a leader among the young and improving side.
Pushing Forward To New Levels
Malta had the upper hand against Andorra with a narrow 1 – 0 victory secured by an early goal from Shona Zammit. Malta’s number fourteen, with more than 80 caps to her name, spoke about the pride in representing Malta on the international stage when questioned about the match-winning moment. She said, “Wearing the shirt is already an honour, let alone scoring the goal in a match that means so much. It was the first time for me.”
Still there was an aura of disappointment as she continued, “I think as a team we want to push more than the performance we gave today.” Questioned on her thoughts on whether the team relaxed too much after scoring the early goal the midfielder replied, “We were prepared on what to expect from Andorra, so we were not surprised. I would not conclude that we relaxed too much, but maybe we need to consider also there are many changes in the team, including three new players and we are all still getting accustomed to each other. It’s not an excuse, but it affects the dynamic of the team for sure.”
Besides the introduction of Oceane Grange and Fiona Buttigieg in defence, who contributed to Malta’s first clean sheet since the goalless draw against Northern Ireland last April, Lexine Farrugia also made her first senior start with Malta’s national team. The youngster was a force up front, with key contributions in the match as well.
Questioned about achieving this milestone, Lexine Farrugia replied, “I was of course excited for my first senior start. However, I feel that the team really believed in me and I really felt their support. So, I think credit goes to the team because it helps a lot. Then of course I did my best to believe in my ability, trust the coach’s judgement to put me on the pitch and do my best to repay her with a good performance.”
Although not on the winning end of the match, Andorra’s Teresa Armengol was a key driver for the team to earn an improved scoreline compared to the previous matches in the first edition of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.
At 26 years old, Armengol was one of the more experienced players on the pitch for the team and key player in constructing the team’s transitions to attack. Probed about giving Andorra that belief going forward, she replied, “I think it’s my role to push the team forward, it is something I enjoy doing and I am happy to contribute in this way. For me, it is a privilege to help the team to get to the next level and to represent my country.”
Asked for her comparison between the encounters in the two UEFA Women’s Nations League editions, she replied, “I think Malta is a good team, but we are also a much better team today (than we were). We also improved a lot and I think today we are closer to Malta’s level. Hopefully, we can keep improving and get more.”
Did Andorra Improve Or Did Malta Decline?
The scoreline got closer and so the question begs whether it was Andorra that made that much improvement in a year, or whether Malta has declined. The two coaches, Manuela Tesse and Albert Panadero Garcia gave their thoughts.
Malta’s Manuela Tesse felt it was more of her team’s decline, but acknowledged that Andorra changed approach, “I think we have things which are lacking. In the first Nations League, Andorra tried to play football and not focus on defending with counter-attack. We were not surprised by how Andorra played, but we did not execute our gameplan today. It is also evident that we are missing big players in our team because today our best player was Lexine (Farrugia) who was on her first senior start.”
In fact, probed about the compromises made on selection in view of giving more young players a chance amid an aging defence, Manuela Tesse replied, “Selections are made objectively based on the assessments in training. Lexine (Farrugia) fought for the spot in training, had the numbers and was selected. Today she showed she can do it on the pitch too. Players who want the spot in the team must train hard to get to the level. It is not a matter of young or old. We have young players who can get there, but they must train and fight for the place. Then we will put them on the pitch and see from there.”
Looking toward the future, Tesse continued, “I think we must put our feet on the floor and try to remember that we won the group of the first Nations League by fighting side-by-side. We are missing big characters and players, but we must work to understand how to get there again, work with clubs, work individually to find this spark again. This is international football and the level is this. There are no compromises. It is up to us.”
On the other hand, Albert Panadero Garcia was of a different frame of mind. “I don’t believe Malta is a worse team. It is a team of League B level for sure. However, I think we as Andorra have been pushing to grow. We are looking for ways to improve so maybe today is a show of that.”
He was proud of the way the team reduced the goals conceded against Malta, “For us this is the way to get closer to the level. First we reduce the goals and this is a way for us to get the target of points.”
Andorra were certainly more aggressive and showed improved athleticism, which Albert Panadero Garcia welcomed as his team deployed his instructions, “We are trying to be a strong team defensively. We knew that Malta has really strong players such as Rachel Cuschieri, Haley Bugeja and Maria Farrugia, so it was important that our defence does not allow these players to dictate too much.”
Looking toward future matches, Albert Panadero Garcia concluded, “We want to continue on this trajectory, maintain our defensive quality and now try to improve the offensive transitions.”
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
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