Malta fell to a narrow 2-1 loss to Hungary at the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium, despite putting on a very spirited second-half display.
The game started in end-to-end fashion, with the two sides looking to stamp their authority on the game, with Malta looking particularly dangerous on the counter. The first attempt on goal fell to Hungary in the 6th minute, when a cross was whipped in from the left towards András Németh, who saw his header sail wide of the post.
Malta’s first opportunity came in the 11th minute, when Mattia Veselji was set free by Isaiah Chuukunyere, yet he was brought down by Márk Csinger, just as he was through on goal. From the resulting free-kick, Veselji attempted a shot down the bottom corner, forcing a great save from Ármin Pécsi.
The score was opened just a minute later, thanks to Németh, who drove a shot down to Hugo Sacco’s right, making it 1-0 to Hungary in the 13th minute. Following the goal, Hungary started to have more of the ball, switching it from side to side, and their efforts were rewarded with them doubling the scoring midway through the second half. Zsombor Gruber found space on the left, right on the edge of Malta’s box, and his left-footed strike flew into the net to extend Hungary’s advantage to two.
Hungary’s pressure continued as the half wore on, yet the Malta defence did all it could to ease it, putting a number of bodies on the line in the process. While Malta made some flurries forward towards the end of the half, linking up well in midfield, they could not find a breakthrough, and the score remained 2-0 at the break.
Malta made a quick start to the second half and hit Hungary on the counter, when Andrea Zammit was tripped in the box by Pécsi, and Malta were awarded a penalty. Zammit stepped up, and he made no mistake, firing it past the goalkeeper for his fourth goal of the tournament, making it 2-1.
The goal spurred Malta on, and they were starting to be more adventurous going forward, finding Veselji and Isaiah Chukunyere more on the wings. However, Hungary remained dangerous, and in the 60th minute they came close to regaining their two-goal lead, when a shot was smartly saved by Sacco, before the rebound had to be cleared from off the line.
The Maltese defence remained resilient, making a number of crucial blocks and interceptions, denying Hungary any joy going forward.
On the 78-minute mark, Veselji was left free on the edge of the penalty area, yet his effort curled just past the post. Malta continued to grow in confidence, and after some neat play down the left which saw Kurt Bondin combining with Veselji and Chukunyere, the ball fell to Matthew Debattista, yet his shot was blocked.
Malta continued to press in search of an equaliser late in the game, yet they eventually ran out of time, and the game finished 2-1 to Hungary.
Up next, Malta will take on Spain in their final UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier Group B match at the Municipal Nuevo Mirador on Tuesday 15th October 2024, with 17:00 kick-off time.
Hungary
12 Ármin Pécsi (GK), 2 Antal Yaakobishvili, 6 Márk Csinger, 7 György Komáromi (23 Botond Vajda 88′), 8 Péter Baráth (C), 9 András Németh (11 Milán Klausz 90+1′), 15 Márk Kosznovszky, 18 Michael Okeke (14 Tamás Szűcs 63′), 19 Barna Benczenleitner, 20 Milán Vitális (10 Dominik Kocsis 63′), 21 Zsombor Gruber (17 Csanád Vilmos Dénes 63′)
Coach: Zoltán Szélesi
Malta
12 Hugo Sacco (GK), 2 Zean Leonardi (6 Karl Mohnani 84′), 3 Owen Spiteri, 7 Mattia Veselji, 10 Andrea Zammit (C), 15 Mattias Ellul (13 Nikolai Micallef 84′), 16 Jake Micallef, 17 Sven Xerri, 18 Andy Borg, 20 Kurt Bondin, 21 Isaiah Chukunyere (9 Jake Engerer 82′)
Coach: Ivan Woods
Yellow cards: Mark Csinger, Ármin Pécsi, György Komáromi (HUN), Mattia Veselji, Matthew Debattista (MLT).
Source: MFA
Photo: MFA
