UEFA UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP 2025
LEAGUE B – GROUP B5
10.04.25
Centenary Stadium, Ta’ Qali, Malta
MALTA U17….0
BULGARIA U17…3
(HT 0-2)
Stoilov 18 (BUL), Minkov 39 (BUL), Tsonov 82 (BUL)
The second stage of the UEFA Under-17 Championship 2025 kicked off with Malta being drawn with Bulgaria, Luxembourg, and the Faroe Islands.
Malta’s opponents were a strong Bulgarian team, who were eliminated from the U17 Finals in November last year in a compelling group with Turkey and Serbia. The UEFA introduced this new system, a separation into League A and B after the first round, as all teams will compete for promotion to League A for qualifying round 1 of the 2026/27 U19 EURO.
The Bulgarians, therefore, will start as tournament favorites, and this morning they managed to beat the hosts 3-0 convincingly, based on a strong first-half performance. Much of the second half belonged to Malta, however, who deserved a goal and came close on several occasions.
Coach Francesco Macri gave defender Andreas Vella a place in the starting line-up, who joined Palermo in November last year from Melita, one of two foreign-based players in the squad with towering Chesterfield striker Gunnar Elliott starting on the bench, entering the fray halfway through the second period. On the side of the Bulgarians, center-back Bozhidar Zhechev and playmaker Martin Peychev were the only two foreign-based starters, playing for Sampdoria and West Ham United respectively.
The visitors dictated play from the start and took the lead on 18 minutes when the Maltese defence failed to deal properly with a free-kick by Ilian Gatinski and Radostin Stoilov was on hand to tap in at the second post. Two minutes later, Peychev produced a run deep into the Maltese box, cutting back to captain Kaloyan Bozhkov who blasted high from an ideal angle. The same Bozhkov released a 20-meter distance grounder on 23 minutes but Malta goalkeeper Adam Newell paraded well.
Just before the half-hour mark, Malta lost the ball on midfield in the built-up, with Nikola Genchev progressing through the middle but his well-taken shot hit the post with the hosts escaping. Moments later, Newell came out well to block a Maksim Minkov attempt while on 36 minutes, Newell blocked a Stoilov opportunity in style. But three minutes later there was nothing the Maltese custodian could do to avoid the second Bulgarian goal, with Minkov doubling from another neat Bulgarian attack.
The Maltese boys came out of the dressing rooms with renewed energy and straight after the re-start, Malta could have pulled one back through Scott Camilleri, who was sent in the clear, with Bulgarian goalkeeper Ognian Vladimirov also blocking the rebound of Zyas Vella-Newell. On 53 minutes, the Bulgarian goalie did again well to parade a Scott Camilleri attempt from a 20-meter distance.
On the hour, Matteo-Paolo Grech missed perhaps the best Malta opportunity of the match when, from a Gianluca Cauchi cross, the unmarked Valletta striker somehow failed to connect in the six-yard box. Malta continued to show the better ideas, however, pushing the Bulgarians into their half.
On 73 minutes, the Bulgarian goalkeeper misjudged a long-distance attempt of Zyas Vella-Newell but the Maltese could not profit from the resultant corner kick. Malta goalkeeper Newell was occasionally tested with a few shots from outside the area which did not particularly trouble the Pieta’ Hotspurs custodian. But on 82 minutes, Bulgaria scored their third with the towering Samuil Tsonov heading home from an Aleksandar Kalchev cross from the right flank.
Close to the end of regular time, Elliott tested Vladimirov once more with a long-distance attempt but the Bulgarian shot-stopper paraded the attempt of the Maltese substitute, which proved to be the last action of the game.
On Thursday afternoon, Luxembourg will meet the Faroe Islands at the same venue, kick-off at 14:30hrs. Malta will come back in action on Sunday morning against Luxembourg, also at the Centenary Stadium with the same kick-off time as today, 11:00hrs.
Malta U17
Adam Newell, Emerson Mejlak (Sky Chetcuti 81′), Keerin Formosa (Ben Gaerty 46′), Sami Abo Assaf, Andreas Vella, Gianluca Cauchi, Zyas Vella-Newell, Jack Camilleri, Daniel Pawley (Matteas Caruana 81′), Scott Camilleri (Gunner Elliott 68′), Matteo Paolo Grech
Coach: Francesco Macri
Bulgaria U17
Ognian Vladimirov, Emanuil Nyagolov, Bozhidar Zhechev, Stoyan Lazarov, Martin Portarski, Radostin Stoilov (Ventislav Mihaylov 83′), Kaloyan Bozhkov, Martin Peychev (Valentino Varbanov 65′), Nikola Genchev (Sasho Grancharov 65′), Ilian Gatinski (Aleksandar Kalchev 74′), Maksim Minkov (Samuil Tsonov 74′)
Coach: Todor Simov
Referee
Aaron Wyn Jones (Wales)
