Teuma misses second penalty 5 minutes into added time
UEFA Nations League
League D – Group D2
Malta…………1
Moldova……..0
A spirited performance by Malta’s national team paved way to a 1-0 win against Moldova on Sunday night at the National Stadium.
It was a highly tensed match with both sets of players fighting for each and every ball all over the field of play.
Malta’s caretaker Manager Davide Mazzotta who has been asked to step in to take care of the last two games of this UNL Group opted for a typical 3-5-2 starting line up which was predictable for our opponents.
Many thought that the only feather in cap that Mazzotta had in order to surprise Moldova was the handing of a starting jersey to Mentz and Buhagiar but it was not the case. In fact after both teams ended the first half goalless, Mazzotta came out with a different tactical approach for teh decond part of the match.
Mazzotta and his assistant Chevanton effected a double substitution when they put in Satariano and Tuma instead of Trent Buhagiar and Luke Montebello for a revamped 3-4-3 approach.
This change gave the desired results as the team was much more offensive with Malta being awarded a penalty on the 87th minute mark after a foul inside the Moldova area. From the 11 meter mark it was the Reims player Teddy Teuma who managed to strike home.
Five minutes into added time England FA referee Brooks pointed again to the penalty spot after noticing a hands ball inside the opposing team’s area. This time Teuma kicked wide to the despair of the Maltese fans who turned up in good numbers to support the team for this crucial game.
If Malta would have won with a 2-0 win they would have levelled up Moldova on top of the Group on goal difference which is still in favor by one goal for Moldova.
The next and last match of League D – Group D2 will be played again at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali on 19th November against Andorra.
Referee: John Brooks (ENG)
Line Ups
Malta: Henry Bonello, Jean Borg, Ryan Camenzuli, Gabriel Mentz (90+3’ Zach Muscat), Kurt Shaw (90+3’ Luke Tabone), Matthew Guillaumier, Joseph Mbong, Paul Mbong (70’ Alexander Satariano), Teddy Teuma, Luke Montebello (46’ Kemar Reid), Trent Buhagiar (46’ Basil Tuma).
Coach: Davide Mazzotta
Moldova: Dumitru Celeadnic, Oleg Reabciuk, Vladislav Baboglo, Denis Marandici (46’ Maxim Cojocaru), Artur Ionita (77’ Victor Stina), Vitalie Damascan (55’ Dmitri Mandricenco), Mihail Caimacov, Artur Craciun, Victor Mudrac, Sergiu Platica, Vadim Rata (87’ Virgiliu Postolachi).
Coach: Coach Serghei Cleșcenco
What will happen next:
According to the regulations of the UEFA Nations League, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points on completion of the league phase, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:
- higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
- superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
- higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
- if, after having applied criteria a) to c), teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a) to c) are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the remaining teams to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria e) to k) apply in the order given to the two or more teams still equal;
- superior goal difference in all group matches;
- higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
- higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
- higher number of wins in all group matches;
- higher number of away wins in all group matches;
- lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
- higher position in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League Access List
