The Malta national hockey team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Bulgaria in their second group match of the EuroHockey Championship III, currently underway in Kirklareli, Turkey.
Following a tough 9-1 loss to Ukraine in their opening game, the Maltese sideโled by coach Chris Attardโshowed marked improvement, holding a 2-0 lead by the end of the third quarter. Keith Bajada opened the scoring, and Thomas Degiovanni doubled Maltaโs advantage shortly after, putting them in a strong position heading into the final stretch.
However, Bulgaria mounted a late comeback in the last 17 and a half minutes, with goals from Valentin Georgiev, Bogomil Pavlov, and Georgi Baklev turning the match in their favour and securing the win.
The game was officiated by Jaroslava Suchochi of Lithuania and Aaron Saunders of Ireland.
Malta will conclude their Group A campaign tomorrow with a match against Hungary. In the groupโs other match, Ukraine cruised past Hungary 10-1, leaving them tied at the top of the table with Bulgaria.
Group A standings:
-
Ukraine โ 6 pts
-
Bulgaria โ 6 pts
-
Malta โ 0 pts
-
Hungary โ 0 pts
All tournament fixtures are being played in the city of Kirklareli, Turkey.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
Leave a Reply