Valletta Youths faced off against Honka Espoo in a penalty shootout to advance to the first round of the UEFA Youth League.
The Finns were the first to score in the 24th minute, with Elliot Backman deflecting the ball into the net. The first half ended 1-0. In the second half, Keyom Ewurum equalized with a shot that bounced off Erik Davidyan and into the goal. The Maltese team struggled to respond, and in the 80th minute, Davidyan scored again to make it 2-1 for the Finns. However, the Citizens did not give up, and in the 82nd minute, Ohaka Jr scored to level the aggregate score at 3-3. Jake Azzopardi then scored the crucial goal in the first minute of extra time, making it 3-3 on aggregate.
As a result, the match was decided by a penalty shootout. The Maltese team secured their place in the next round with three successful penalties from Ewurum, Liam Buhagair, and Claude Mercieca. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Liam Frendo saved three penalties from Honka. Valletta will now face Auxerre of France in the second round.
