The Malta Women’s Under-19 National Team ended their UEFA WU19 European Championship campaign with a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan on Wednesday in a tight match that had plenty of chances for both sides.
Malta started strong, and in the 10th minute they had a good opportunity to open the scoring, when Nyorah Celeste was put through on goal, and after cutting in from the left, she tried to curl the ball into the far corner, yet it was saved by Karolina Guk.
In the 21st minute, Kazakhstan came very close to taking the lead when they were awarded a free-kick. Yelizaveta Medvedeva stepped up to take it, and her powerful effort crashed against the bar, before going out of play.
The two sides were cancelling each other out for large parts of the half, with most of the play coming in midfield. In the 34th minute, Medvedeva received the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and she tried her luck from range, but her shot went way wide.
44 minutes into the game, Francesca Bartolo intercepted the ball in midfield, before making a darting run within the Kazakhstan middle, yet her shot from range went wide of the post.
The score remained goalless going into the break.
Kazakhstan were presented with a huge opportunity to go in front in the 57th minute, when a loose pass from the Maltese defence fell to Ary Yermagambetova, but her shot went way wide of the goal , and the score remained goalless.
Malta took the lead in the 61st minute, when a thunderous effort from Bartolo from long range crashed against the woodwork, and the Ema Micallef was quickest to react, finishing off the rebound to make it 1-0.
Erika Muscat was called into action in the 73rd minute, when Kazakhstan built an attack down the left, but the Maltese goalkeeper reacted well to save from close range, tipping the ball away.
Malta came very close to doubling their lead in the 78th minute, when a through ball found Thais Muscat, before she cut the ball back to Micallef, yet her shot went only narrowly wide. Malta continued to push forward, and in the 80th minute, Shannen Mallia found Lisa Calleja, who after shifting the ball to her left foot, hit a powerful strike that was saved by Guk.
Malta continued to administer their lead in the closing stages, and they emerged as 1-0 winners, ending their UEFA WU19 European Championship campaign with a positive display and result.
Kazakhstan
12 Karolina Guk (GK), 4 Adeliya Bekkozhina (C), 6 Darya Tolkachyova, 8 Aiya Muttari, 10 Aru Yermagambetova, 11 Aizere Muratzhan (5 Aidana Baizhanova, 65’), 13 Yelizaveta Medvedeva, 16 Ramina Omarova, 18 Anelya Meimanbay (15 Shakhnoza Kholbayeva, 46’), 19 Zhansezim Aissapar, 20 Assel Zholbolat
Coach: Xeniya Postovaya
Malta
1 Erika Muscat (GK), 4 Amber Galea, 5 Francesca Bartolo (C), 6 Ema Micallef, 7 Lisa Calleja, 8 Caitlyn Turner, 9 Suzanne Farrugia Sacco (16 Shannen Mallia, 67’), 10 Nyorah Celeste, 11 Thais Muscat, 17 Lara May Azzopardi, 19 Stella Francalanza
Coach: Melania Bajada
Referee: Petra Vajdeckova (SVK)