Under-16 girls claim second win in UEFA tournament

The Malta Under-16 girls team secured their second win in the UEFA Youth Girls Development Tournament after beating Andorra 7-0 at the Centenary Stadium on Thursday. 

As the scoreline clearly indicates, the Maltese girls were the better team throughout to make it back-to-back wins after their opening 5-1 success against Gibraltar.

Led by coach Dorianne Theuma, the Maltese girls raced into a three-goal advantage inside the opening seven minutes.

Birkirkara forward Kailey Willis opened the scoring with a thumping volley from the edge of the area, capitalising on a neat through-ball from Veronique Mifsud.

On five minutes, Mġarr United forward Haley Bugeja netted her first goal of the tournament, outrunning her markers before sending a shot into the far corner.

Bugeja, the leading scorer in both the U-19 and senior domestic leagues, got her second a few minutes later when she surged into the box before firing a low drive.

Malta continued to dominate to go 4-0 up with a long-range effort from Emma Ciantar on the 14th.

Three minutes later, Haley Bugeja scored Malta’s fifth following a corner from the right.

Andorra could have pulled one back but Erica Do Canto’s long-distance drive ended inches wide but it was Malta who got their sixth on minute 29 when Willis sent a through-ball towards Bugeja who swept past the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into an empty net.

On the brink of half-time, Theuma’s girls scored their seventh when Willis’s cross into the box was deflected by Andorra’s Laura Martin into her own net. 

In the second 40-minute period, the two coaches made several substitutions and scoring chances were few and far between as the Maltese team easily controlled the proceedings. 

Malta’s final match is against Albania on Saturday, kick-off: 10:15.

MALTAGiulia D’Antuono (72 Justyne Caruana), Martina Fenech (65 Izabella Camilleri), Alexandra Gatt, Georgiana Mifsud (41 Nell Zarb Cousin), Laura Chetcuti Dimech (31 Mariah Cardona), Maya Lucia (31 Elena Sissons), Veronique Mifsud (64 Rhea Borg), Martina Cortis, Emma Ciantar (41 Gaia Antonelli), Haley Bugeja (41 Hannah Khatib), Kailey Willis (41 Laura Hannah Muscat).

ANDORRA Elisabeth Trastoy, Mariona Munoz, Maria Farre, Marta Sinfreu (63 Meritxell Mejuto), Erica Do Canto, Zoe Garcia, Laura Martin (41 Lucia Soto), Lia Rabada (41 Sandra Garcia), Gemm Camin, Nuria Bellsola (41 Laia Palau), Andrea Castano (41 Maria Hernandez).

Referee: Luke Xuereb