Malta…..0
Andorra…..0
Malta ended their UEFA Nations League Commitments with a creditable draw against Andorra at the National Stadium. The Maltese boys had to play for almost 75 minutes with 10 men following the sending off of Gabriel Wentz after 18 minutes for an off the ball foul.
Up to that moment, Malta was the superior side with a number of opportunities although Andorra were appearing a tough nut to crack.
Malta’s national team coach Davide Mazzotta made just one change to his starting XI from the side that defeated Moldova 1-0 last month. Jurgen Degabriele was rewarded for his strong showing against Liechtenstein with a spot up front, replacing the injured Luke Montebello. The rest of the lineup remained unchanged, with Matthew Guillaumier once again leading the side as captain.
The match began brightly for Malta, with Trent Buhagiar’s pace slicing through Andorra’s defense in the 12th minute. His clever back-heel set up Joseph Mbong, whose low shot from outside the area forced a save from goalkeeper Iker Alvarez. Andorra responded three minutes later when their captain, Marc Garcia, attempted an audacious long-range shot that nearly caught Henry Bonello off guard, but the Malta goalkeeper adjusted in time to avoid disaster.
The game took a dramatic turn in the 17th minute when VAR intervened following a foul by defender Jacob Mentz on Albert Rosas. What initially seemed a routine free-kick was upgraded to a red card, leaving Malta a man down. Mazzotta responded by sacrificing Degabriele for Enrico Pepe in a bid to stabilize the defense. The tension mounted as both sides engaged in physical battles, resulting in a flurry of cautions.
Malta suffered another blow just after the half-hour mark as Ryan Camenzuli was forced off with an injury, with Myles Beerman stepping in. Despite the setbacks, Malta nearly broke the deadlock in quick succession. First, Mbong blasted a close-range effort over the bar in the 36th minute. Moments later, a pinpoint cross from Guillaumier into the six-yard box went begging as Buhagiar and Kurt Shaw failed to connect. Andorra threatened just before halftime, with Bonello producing an excellent save to deny Joan Cervos’ curling effort.
Despite being down to 10 men, Malta pressed forward after the break. However, in the 54th minute, Andorra capitalized on a counterattack, with Rosas outpacing Pepe only to fire wide. Malta responded through Teddy Teuma, whose 20-yard effort went off target in the 63rd minute. Bonello continued to stand firm, turning a Cervos shot into a corner in the 67th minute, and denying another effort from the same player five minutes later.
As the match wore on, Malta struggled to unlock Andorra’s defensive structure, while the visitors grew bolder in the final stages. Rosas nearly created the breakthrough in the 84th minute with a darting run and cross that found no takers. In stoppage time, Rosas again came close, his low drive narrowly missing the target to the relief of the home side.
With the result, Malta secures the runners-up spot in their UEFA Nations League group and a Promotion/Relegation Play-Off in March 2026 against either Latvia or Luxembourg, the best-ranked fourth-placed teams in Group C. The playoff draw takes place on Friday in Nyon. Additionally, Malta will learn their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying opponents on December 13, with matches beginning next March.
