Kazakhstan……..4
Malta………………1
At the Kairat Academy Stadium in Kazakhstan, the U21 Maltese national team suffered a 4-1 defeat against Kazakhstan, leaving them at the bottom of Group B with no points in the European Championships Qualifying Round.
Ivan Woods’ squad fell behind in the 29th minute when Ivan Sviridov scored a stunning volley, leaving Hibernians goalkeeper Hugo Sacco with no chance. The first half concluded with Kazakhstan leading 1-0.
Just five minutes into the second half, Kazakhstan doubled their lead when Kenzhebek broke free and set up Abdulla, whose low shot slipped through Sacco’s hands and into the net.
Malta managed to pull one back in the 68th minute when Zammit was fouled in the box by Shirobokov. He converted the resulting penalty, sending Anarbekov the wrong way to make it 2-1.
However, Malta’s hopes were dashed when Kurt Bondin received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 78th minute. Just two minutes later, Sviridov found himself unmarked during a set piece and headed in Kazakhstan’s third goal from close range.
The situation worsened for Malta when they conceded a penalty a minute before full time, as Mohnani tripped Ankudinov in the area. Zhumakhanov confidently converted the penalty, sealing a convincing victory for Kazakhstan.
Malta will be aiming to secure their initial points as they prepare to confront Scotland at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
