MALTA……………3
SAN MARINO…..1
In a friendly match at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium, Malta beat San Marino 3-1 with all goals coming in the first half. Also in the first half both sides were reduced to 10 men, with Cardona and Berardi shown straight red cards.
The match got off to a fast start, with Irvin Cardona scoring his first goal for Malta just five minutes in. The forward made a great run before firing a shot from outside the box into the net.
Just six minutes later, Zach Muscat doubled Malta’s lead. Joseph Mbong delivered a ball into the area which reached Ilyas Chouaref. His effort didn’t reach the target but fell to Cardona, who passed it to Matthew Guillaumier. The midfielder’s shot was redirected into the goal by Muscat.
In the 34th minute, Malta made it 3-0 through Paul Mbong, who received an excellent pass from Muscat and made no mistake with the finish.
Three minutes before half-time, both teams were reduced to ten men. Irvin Cardona and Filippo Berardi were shown straight red cards following an off-the-ball incident.
Just before the break, San Marino pulled one back. Nicola Nanni scored from the penalty spot after Alexander Satariano was judged to have committed a foul inside the box.
The second half saw chances at both ends, but no further goals were scored. Malta held on to secure their fourth victory over San Marino in international competition.
Malta now look ahead to their next fixtures in October, a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against the Netherlands, followed by a friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
