The Malta National Women’s Team secured their third consecutive victory by defeating Andorra (5-0) on Friday. This marked the fourth encounter between Malta and Andorra, with Malta emerging victorious in all previous three matches. Their most recent meeting took place in 2016, resulting in a 4-0 win for Malta.
Manuela Tesse fielded the same eleven players she had selected for the previous match against Moldova. However, in the first fifteen minutes of the game against Andorra, Malta appeared to be a shadow of their former selves compared to their last outing against Moldova. Despite the slow start, they managed to seize their first opportunity in the 17th minute when an Ann Marie Said cross found an alert Haley Bugeja, who artfully headed the ball into the net, opening the scoring.
Five minutes later, Malta doubled their lead as Stephania Farrugia expertly lobbed the ball behind the Andorran goalkeeper after receiving a perfectly executed corner from Ann Marie Said.
Malta came close to scoring again three minutes later when Ylenia Carabott’s header was saved with difficulty by the Andorran custodian. Just a minute before halftime, Alishia Sultana’s solo attempt was saved and resulted in a corner, thanks to a remarkable save by Vazquez.
In the opening minute of the second half, Haley Bugeja netted her second goal of the game and her fifth in the qualifiers. She sprinted down the flanks and delivered a powerful shot that left the goalkeeper with no chance.
Malta extended their lead to 4-0 in the 74th minute when Rachel Cuschieri assisted Maria Farrugia, who with precision dribbled past the goalkeeper before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
Two minutes later, in the 76th minute, Malta was awarded a penalty. Rachel Cuschieri took the penalty from the 11-meter spot and, although her initial attempt was saved, she made no mistake on the second try, putting the ball in the back of the net.
Malta’s next encounter will see them face Andorra again, in an away game on Tuesday, October 31st.
Malta: Janice Xuereb, Ann-Marie Said, Emma Lipman (Charlene Zammit), Stefania Farrugia, Ylenia Carabott (Maria Farrugia), Rachel Cuschieri, Alishia Sultana (Kailey Willis), Brenda Borg (Shona Zammit), Emma Xuereb (Jessica Lee Dimech), Nicole Sciberras, Haley Bugeja
Andorra: Luna Vazquez, Maria Moles (Laura Borja Martin), Neus Rosas, Laia Sin (Noa Gallinat Civico), Sonia Del Barco (Gemma Lluch Camin), Maria Da Cruz, Marina Meulas, Maria Ruzafa, Erica Goncalves (Teresa Armengol), Paula Marques, Iria Dominguez (Miriam Tizon Fernandez)
Referee: Meliz Ozcigdem (TUR),
Asst Referees: Sedef Aktan, Merve Turan, (TUR),
Fourth Official: Cansu Tryak (TUR)
Source: MFA
Photo: MFA
