The Malta Under-16 National Team opened their UEFA Development Tournament campaign with an impressive 7-0 win over Gibraltar on Wednesday afternoon, in a true showcase of their attacking qualities.
Malta started very brightly, and they needed just five minutes to take the lead, when a neatly crafted move led to Lukas Freddie Wright being faced with goalkeeper Lucas Becerra Lopez, and he made no mistake, stroking the ball into the back of the net.
Gibraltar tried to respond immediately after, working the ball well towards the right channel, but Noah Mulholland stood tall and made an excellent save at the near post.
Malta were looking confident in their play, stringing the ball nicely in Gibraltar’s half. 20 minutes into the game, some sharp play down the right led to the ball falling to Nicholas Busuttil on the edge of the penalty area, yet his shot went over the bar.
22 minutes into the game, Malta doubled their advantage. A fine cross from the left by Ayrem Aquilina found Jayden Roe, who headed the ball excellently to make it 2-0. A few moments later, it was 3-0, after Kenzil Vella found a neat pocket of space in the penalty area to tuck a loose ball past the Gibraltar goalkeeper.
Malta remained in control of the match, and in the 38th minute, a perfectly crafted move led to Roe turning quickly on the edge of the penalty area, yet his left-footed strike was tipped away for a corner. From the resulting corner, a loose ball fell to Roe, who fired a delightful volley into the net.
In the second half, both sides made a host of substitutions, and the two teams tried to pick up the rhythm. In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Deyan Gatt got down very well to save a powerful shot.
Malta seized control of the match again in the second half, having most of the possession while keeping Gibraltar penned in their own half. Gibraltar did come forward in the 67th minute, when a volley was rifled towards goal, but Gatt produced a stunning save to turn it away.
Malta made it 5-0 in the 71st minute, when an excellent through pass from Kayden Hili found Matthew Higgans, who slotted the ball past Lucas Becerra Lopez. This was then followed by another goal, when Higgans turned into provider, squaring the ball to Wright, whose shot was deflected into the net.
In the 89th minute, Malta scored their seventh of the match, when Cole Zerafa got on the end of a loose ball in the Gibraltar penalty area, firing a shot into the roof of the net.
As a result, the match finished in a 7-0 victory for Malta, giving them a great boost ahead of their next match, up against San Marino on Friday 6th March, also kicking off at 1.30pm.
MALTA
1 Noah Mulholland (GK) (12 Deyan Gatt, 46’), 3 Giorgio Cristauro (13 Liam Galea, 68’), 4 Nicholas Busuttil (11 Matthew Higgans, 46’), 5 Matteo Mangion, 8 Jayden Roe (C) (17 Cole Zerafa, 46’), 9 Lukas Freddie Wright, 10 Ayrem Aquilina (2 Liam Gatt, 46’), 15 Kaiden Grixti (14 Emerson Agius, 68’), 16 Luke Buttigieg (18 Sean Farrugia, 46’), 19 Kenzil Vella (7 Mateja Stevanovic, 46’), 20 Gianni Zerafa (6 Kayden Hili, 46’)
Coach: Davide Mazzotta
GIBRALTAR
13 Lucas Becerra Lopez (GK), 3 Leon Martinez (8 Aaron Jay Cordon, 46’), 6 Kaion Michael Drakes (2Filipe Hill De Oliveira, 46’), 4 Julian Christopher Lima, 12 Matthew Sanchez (20 Jayron Shaun Birkett Hernandez, 46’), 15 Imran El Hana (19 Jaxsen Jay Ramirez Alman, 46’), 5 Ryan Junior Casciaro (C), 7 Ilies Achhoud Amziane (14 James John Pincho Rios, 62’), 17 Joshua Adalberto Villa Lopes (11 Robert Guiling, 62’), 9 Lucas Hill De Oliveira (16 Callum Douglas Gomez, 62’), 10 Liam Ryan Payas
Coach: Ryan Casciaro
Referee: Rapjan Xhyra
Source: MFA
Photo: Owen Damato MFA
