Futsal: Malta lose to England in International Tournament

The Maltese futsal national team was beaten 5-0 by its English counterpart on Friday in Hereford, England, in what was the second match of an international quadrangular tournament, also featuring Turkey and Finland.

England started strongly, missing a host of chances in the opening stages of the match, with the Maltese eventualy succumbing to two quick goals from Ben Mortlock (6′) and Nick Colley (8′).

Malta hit back, creating a couple of opportunities of their own, with Dean Gera having a shot parried by keeper Curtis Holmes, and Xavier Saliba hitting the post with a fierce left-footed shot, which at that point could have brought Malta back into the match.

However, England effectively killed the tie with a third goal from Tom Obasi (16′), giving them a 3-0 half time lead.

The second half brought more of the same, with Malta struggling to cope with the constant pressure exerted by the English team. Goals from England’s captain, Luke Ballinger (23′) and Rob Ursell (32′), sealed a deserved 5-0 victory, that took the English through to today’s final, where they will face Turkey, who earlier in the day beat Finland 3-2.

The Finns will be determined to make amends for their unexpected loss when they play Malta in the third place playoff.