by There were plenty of talking points as Malta hosted Georgia on Tuesday. Manuela Tesse & Iris Antman reflected on the merit of the result, the quality of officiation and the importance of the twelfth player. Rachel Cuschieri ranked her strike among the top in her career while reflecting on the level of competition since the inaugural tournament. Maya Lucia appears to be relishing the full-back duties.
Was It A Fair Result?
The events on Tuesday unfolded in front of 620 attendees at the Centenary Stadium, in a hard-fought match where Malta saw off the come-back threat from Georgia to retain a 2 – 1 victory. With both sides having created chances in the match, the two coaches were asked for their thoughts on the balance of the result.
Malta’s Manuela Tesse did not hesitate, “Yes, I believed we deserved to win. We missed four clear opportunities and Georgia did not shoot much in the goal. We did suffer a little bit against their long-balls, but I believe if we look at the number of opportunities created we had more.”
Eyeing further improvement, Tesse continued, “I was happy with the chances created but we need to improve on our conversion rates. We are one team and we suffered in the last ten minutes because we hadn’t killed off the game. Then, we should have done better with the possession we had in the final minutes.”
The coach of Malta suggested that the team’s inability to control proceedings at the end were more to do with physical fatigue rather than the mental pressure of the moment. She said, “I think the players were tired mainly because we took some time to understand how to adapt to the changes that Georgia made. So, we wasted a lot of energy to understand how to shift in the first half. However, I think we were more fluid in the second half so I am happy with that.”
Georgia’s Iris Antman was graceful in defeat, “I think we deserved to get more than we did. I know from looking at the footage that the referee didn’t whistle for our penalty, and in the end we lost the match. However, I am proud of the girls, they played very differently from the first game. All of this is part of the process. Sometimes you play well and you don’t win, and sometimes you don’t play well but still win. This is part of the game. We must look forward for the next games and push to do better.”
Wonder Goals & Rising To The Level As Competition Heats Up
Rachel Cuschieri fired a screamer from distance and she admitted it ranked high among the contributions across her distinguished career, “It was definitely a nice goal. I think the most beautiful goal I ever scored was when I was with PSV, against Hoffenheim, but I think it did rank with the top.”
Assessing the significance of the goal in the match, Cuschieri continued, “I think it was a moment where we couldn’t underestimate Georgia, because we knew that they would fight to find their way back. When the second goal went in we could relax slightly more, but obviously they found the goal late and then we needed to control the game to ensure the win. They were pushing hard and we wanted also to find the goal to kill the game. Neither of us managed, but fortunately we kept the lead to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Cuschieri remarked the increased competitiveness since returning to League C, but called on the team to step up to the plate, “I think the level has improved since the first edition. We’ve drawn strong teams and we can see the direct improvement even from Andorra, who we faced last time. However, I think as a team we can do better than we have been doing. So, I think if we truly focus and put our best foot forward then the game can be easy.”
Another strong contributor for Malta was Maya Lucia, who was lively on the right wing and appeared to be growing more steadily in the full-back duties. The youngster attributed the hard-fought victory to the passion in the side, “I think we needed to truly show our grit in the match because we faced an opponent who would never give up. We are technical, but our Maltese DNA is one that fights with pride and determination. So, I think we are proud with the performance and it’s an important victory.”
Reflecting on transition over the full-back position, Lucia said, “I think it is a very interesting role. I think it is a position that you can do a lot with and it gives me the opportunity to run forward as well. I feel I can help the team both in attack and in defence in this position which I enjoy. Of course it helps that I have such excellent midfielders around me including Rachel (Cuschieri), Shona (Zammit) and Nicole (Sciberras) who can feed those balls to attack.”
Growing The Game In Every Aspect
The match was hampered by dubious calls and confusion in decisions from the officials. The two coaches were probed on their thoughts of whether they believe the level should be better considering the football played, despite the League C status.
Manuela Tesse remarked, “Yes, I think today there was not enough focus in both halves and for both teams. As with anything in the game, everything needs to improve together. However, I think we need to be also patient.”
Iris Antman began, “I think if I mention the match today it could easily be an excuse about our defeat today. Sometimes referees make mistakes, sometimes they do less, but I do believe that they bring the maximum.”
However, she acknowledged the impact of decisions, “I think if I were to say something, looking back at our first game we had eight yellow cards. That was not good refereeing, I felt that there was a loss in control there. However, for today we just need to accept that it is part of the game.”
Rallying The Support For The Game
Despite being among the smallest nations in the game, both teams had a core of support with them in the match.
Iris Antman hailed those making the trip from Georgia in being with the team through thick and thin, “Our Sakartvelo (Georgia in native language) fans are amazing all over the world. Wherever we go we find people supporting us. Sometimes they come because they live where we visit, but today they came with us from Georgia. Their support is a big motivation. Today we disappointed them, because we wanted to win for them. However, they know that we put the maximum on the pitch and will be proud of that.”
Manuela Tesse welcomed the number in the stands, but called on a serious campaign to attract more to the game as the national team takes on Cyprus in a direct confrontation for promotion at the National Stadium on May 30th at 19:00 CET.
She said, “We need to make one campaign, work together to advertise this match and if we work from tomorrow we can have Ta Qali full. Unless that happens, we risk a lot of empty stands. So, we must work, us as the Federation, with everyone outside to get as many supporters to the stadium. They are our twelfth player and my players are boosted by that extra support.”
Malta will take on Cyprus with a victory being enough to secure promotion back to League B with one game to spare. Georgia will take on Andorra on the same day at the National Stadium of Andorra.
Lead Image: Brandon Bonett
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