The Maltese national hockey team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against Bulgaria in their second match of the EuroHockey Championship 3.
Under the guidance of coach Chris Attard, Malta delivered a significantly improved performance compared to their previous 9-1 loss to Ukraine. In fact, the Maltese side held a 2-0 lead by the end of the third quarter, only for Bulgaria to turn the match around in the final 17 and a half minutes.
Keith Bajada opened the scoring for Malta, with Thomas Degiovanni later doubling the advantage. However, Bulgaria responded strongly, with goals from Valentin Georgiev, Bogomil Pavlov, and Georgi Baklev securing all three points.
The match officials were Jaroslava Suchochi of Lithuania and Aaron Saunders of Ireland.
Malta will play their third and final group match tomorrow against Hungary. In another Group A fixture, Ukraine beat Hungary 10-1 and now sit at the top of the group alongside Bulgaria.
GROUP A STANDINGS
Ukraine, Bulgaria – 6 points, Malta, Hungary – 0 points
All matches are being held in the Turkish city of Kirklareli.
