The Maltese Under-21 team failed to get a positive result in far-away Kazakhstan this afternoon, in a match they ended with ten players after the dismissal of Kurt Bondin on 78 minutes with the score 2-1 in favour of the hosts. It was the killer-blow for Ivan Woods’ side, who had scored a penalty through Andrea Zammit seven minutes before and were passing through a bright patch of the match.
With Jake Vassallo and Mattias Ellul being part of the national team squad, Woods had to change his team on a few positions, with new Zabbar St Patrick recruit Jake Micallef filling in for Vassallo in central defence. Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Dylan Scicluna and Basil Tuma of Reading were the only two foreign-based players in the starting line-up.
Woods was forced to do an early 11th minute substitution with Aleandro Garzia being injured and replaced by Melita’s Karl Mohnani in his 22nd cap for the U21s. The Kazakhs were looking for an early goal and after coming close on a few occasions, Igor Sviridov broke the deadlock just before the half hour after some good work by Aibar Abdulla. Malta pressed for an equaliser with a Scicluna attempt missing target on 31 minutes. Seven minutes later, Bondin bumped into his first caution of the match after a challenge on Galymzhan Kenzhebek, which was the only note-worthy action to report before the break.
The visitors started brightly after the change of ends but it was Kazakhstand who doubled five minutes after the re-start through Abdulla, assisted by Kenzhebek. Scicluna, Owen Spiteri and Mattia Veselji could have scored in the twelve minutes that followed but all failed to find the net. On 67 minutes, Andrea Zammit replaced Scicluna and immediately left his mark, with Abylaikhan Nazymkhanov bringing the Birkirkara striker down in the box barely four minutes after his entry. Zammit slammed home the spot-kick comfortably to bring his grand total for the Malta Under-21 on eight goals in official games, as he is now the all-time Malta Under-21 Top Scorer, one more then Antoine Zahra who scored seven Malta U21 goals between 1994 and 1999.
More importantly, Malta were completely back into the match and surged forward for an equaliser. However, on 78 minutes, Bondin received his marching orders for a second bookable offence, again on Kenzhebek, which left Malta to finish the game with ten players. The Kazakhs restored their two-goal advantage immediately with an 80th minute strike by Sviridov, his second of the afternoon, followed by a stoppage time goal through defender Adilbek Zhumakhanov.
Malta will now play Scotland next Tuesday at the National Stadium at Ta’ Qali, with a kick-off time of 18h30. Next month, Woods’ boys will end their campaign with two away games, one against Hungary on October 10, followed by Spain five days later. Tomorrow, Scotland is playing Spain at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh, an important game for the top position in this group as the Scottish trail Spain by three points (16 and 13 points). Belgium is third in this group with 13 points, followed by Hungary (10), Kazakhstan (6) and Malta, who yet have to get off-mark.
Kazakhstan Temirlan Anarbakov, Damir Kasabulat, Aleksandr Shirobokov, Adilbek Zhumakhanov, Meirambek Kalmyrza (Mikael Askarov 69), Yersultan Kaldybekov (Olzhas Baibek 62), Abylaikhan Nazymkhanov, Galymzhan Kenzhebek (Danil Ankudinov 84), Alen Aimanov (Yan Trufanov 62), Aibar Abdulla (Beibit Galym 69), Ivan Sviridov.
Malta Hugo Sacco, Nikolai Micallef, Owen Spiteri, Jake Micallef, Matthew Ellul, Andrew Borg, Aleandro Garzia (Karl Mohnani 11), Dylan Scicluna (Andrea Zammit 67), Kurt Bondin, Mattia Veselji, Basil Tuma (Daniel Letherby 83).
Referee Andreas Argyrou (Cyprus)