Georgia registered a most comfortable 5-0 win over Malta in another match from Group F of the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifying round at the Centenary Stadium on Tuesday.
Despite the fact that the squad was strengthened with the addition of goalkeeper James Sissons, Kean Scicluna, Andy Borg, Keyon Ewurum and Basil Tuma who formed part of the senior squad, the team led by Davide Mazzotta failed to impress, suffering another heavy defeat after last month’s 0-5 defeat to Greece and the 2-0 defeat to Northern Ireland in Belfast last Thursday.
Photos courtesy of Malta FA
The visitors went close to taking the lead on 34 minutes with a diagonal shot by Saba Kharebashvili from the left which hit the upright but two minutes later, the same Kharebashvili beat goalkeeper James Sissons with a long-distance effort after the Malta goalkeeper had abandoned the penalty area.
One minute from the end of the first half, Georgia doubled the score as NIkoloz Dadiani beat Sissons with a fine long-distance effort which gave the Maltese custodian no chance. Β
On 68 minutes. Giorgi Tabatadze made it 3-0 with a fine rising shot from outside the area and three minutes later, Georgia scored the fourth goal as Aleksandre Narimanidze headed the ball home off a Parkadze corner.
Nine minutes from time, substitute Aleko Basiladze added another for Georgia, beating the Malta goalkeeper with an angled shot from the left.
MALTAΒ James Sissons, Finley Ging (46β Sven Xerri), Shaisen Attard (77β Daniel Letherby), Jake Grech (46β Nathan Cross), Kean Scicluna, Keyon Ewurum (82β Nicholas Agius), Andy Borg (90+1β Bjorn Buhagiar), Jake Micallef, Jake Azzopardi, Benjamin Hili, Basil Tuma.Β
GEORGIAΒ Mikheil Makatsaria, Dato Bukia (83β Jorge Karseladze), Aleksandre Narimanidze, Saba Kharebashvili, Luka Tsulukidze, Irakli Egoyan, Diego Deisadze (69β David Gotsiridze), Luka Latsabidze (77β Dachi Lordkipanidze), Gurami Japaridze (77β Aleko Basiladze), Nikoloz Dadiani, Giorgi Tabatadze (69β Luka Parkadze).
Referee: Johann Ingi Jonsson (ICE)