by Malta and Latvia will meet tomorrow in the opening match of Group C1 in the UEFA Women’s Nations League. The two nations are no strangers, having met six times before, but the two sides taking to the pitch tomorrow may play a very different game than those who preceded them.
Past Fixtures
The first time that the two teams met was in 2009, where Malta emerged victorious by 4-0. Natasha Pace gave Malta an early lead within the first ten minutes. Emma Xuereb dealt the Latvian team a quick brace on the restart, before Dorianne Theuma made it four in the last ten minutes of the match.
The two teams met again in 2013 in the Preliminary Qualifications of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Still under the leadership of Pierre Brincat, Malta sealed a 2-0 victory in front of a crowd of 210 people at the Centenary Stadium. Dorianne Theuma opened the scoring close to half-time, before Rachel Cuschieri sealed the deal in the eighty-third minute.
Malta continued its winning record against the Latvian team in 2015 when the two sides met for a third-place play-off in the Aphrodite Cup, at which point Mark Gatt had taken over the Maltese team. The victory for Malta came at the back of two second-half goals, curtesy of a long-distance strike from Dorianne Theuma, before she teed up Stephania Farrugia who headed in from a corner delivery.
The year 2016 saw the two teams meet twice for friendlies that were played within three days. Although Malta cruised to a 3-0 victory in the first, the Latvian team earned their first draw in the second encounter, with a score of 1-1. The 3-0 victory saw Malta dominate, with goals arriving from Martina Borg and a brace from Ylenia Carabott. Meanwhile, Jade Flask grabbed the only goal for Malta in the draw.
Having started to turn the cogs against the Maltese team in 2016, Latvia secured their first victory a year later, when the two sides met in the Aphrodite Cup. The two sides were separated by a single goal scored by Olga Sevcova in the opening ten minutes of the match.
The Teams Now
In the six years that have expired since the last encounter, both sides have undergone changes in their head coaching staff. Latvia have been led by Romans Kvacovs since 2021, while Malta secured the services of Manuela Tesse at the start of the year.
As both coaches impress their styles on their teams, changes are afoot in the squads who will be taking to the pitch as well. Latvia’s squad features an average age of just twenty-two. Anastasija Rocane and midfielder Olga Sevcova bring the most experience to the squad, including experience on how to handle Malta from past encounters. They play their football in Poland and Iceland, respectively. Goalkeeper Enia Anna Vaivode is also among the more senior players, and currently plays her club football in Sweden’s third tier with P18 IK.
Among the youngsters who will be looking to impress will be the left midfielder Diana Suvitra who made the most of a ten-minute debut with the senior team by scoring a goal against Lithuania earlier in the year. The forward duo of Anastasija Poluhovica and Signija Senberga are also fairly new to the lineups at eighteen and twenty-years old respectively. They play their football in Latvia with SFK Riga and FS Metta.
Manuela Tesse’s squad selection for Malta features a slightly older average age of twenty-five years old. There are plenty of players who have encountered Latvia before, including most of the defensive and midfield selections, as well as Janice Xuereb in goal.
Like Latvia, Malta’s squad also features a number of new faces who have emerged since the last encounter in 2017. Despite having plenty of experience, Emma Lipman (Como) was not included in previous selections, while youngsters Georgiana Mifsud (Valletta), Valentina Rapa (Birkirkara) and Jessica Dimech (Swieqi United) will also be fresh faces in the fixture. In midfield, Veronique Mifsud (Birkirkara) and Nicole Sciberras (Hibernians) will be facing Latvia for the first time at senior level, while amongst those who emerged in the forward line since the last encounter include Maria Farrugia (Lewes), Haley Bugeja (Inter) and Maya Lucia (ZNK Split).
The match between Latvia and Malta will be played at the Sloka Stadium tomorrow Friday 22nd September at 15:30. Entrance is free.
Lead Image: Domenic Aquilina
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