Malta made history on Friday night with a 1-0 victory over Finland in Helsinki. This was the first away-win for coach Emilio de Leo, but also Malta’s first away-victory in the current World Cup qualifying campaign.
Jake Grech scored the all important winner on the 81st minute. Although Finland dominated the match for long stretches, Malta defended with aplomb. Goalkeeper Henry Bonello pulled off some incredible saves to keep us in the game.
Malta now rises to 4th place in the group with 5 points, also a historic total. A cursory look at statistics indicates that this is the third 0-1 away win in World Cup Qualifying but Finland are by far the best opposition with one of the wins coming against Armenia in 2013.
Full match report:
Malta stunned Finland with a dramatic late winner in Helsinki, securing their first victory of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign and climbing above Lithuania in the standings.
Super-sub Jake Grech proved to be the match-winner, scoring with virtually his first touch just moments after coming off the bench. The Floriana midfielder unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the area, sealing a famous night for Maltese football.
But while Grech will rightly claim the headlines, this victory was built on an outstanding collective effort, led by a phenomenal performance from goalkeeper Henry Bonello, who delivered one of the finest displays of his international career.
Bonello produced multiple world-class saves—including reflex stops, full-stretch dives, and crucial blocks—to keep Finland at bay. His heroics earned Malta their first away win in World Cup qualifying since beating Armenia in 2013.
A Night of Heroic Defending
Finland started aggressively, almost scoring within three minutes when Benjamin Källman’s flick struck Enrico Pepe and ricocheted off the post, with Kurt Shaw blocking the rebound.
The hosts dominated possession early on, exploiting space on the flanks and forcing Malta into long spells of defending. Bonello was first called into action on 35 minutes, denying Joel Pohjanpalo from close range before producing another superb save seconds later.
Despite the pressure, Malta held firm and reached half-time level.
Improved Second Half and a Decisive Moment
After the break, Malta began to keep the ball more effectively, though clear chances remained scarce. Bonello once again kept the team alive, pushing over a fierce strike from Adam Marhiev and reacting brilliantly to stop Leo Walta’s deflected effort.
Finland continued to threaten — with Antman dancing through the defence and Rob Lod seeing a shot deflected just wide — but Malta’s resistance held.
In the 79th minute, veteran striker Teemu Pukki entered the pitch for his final national team appearance, as Finland searched desperately for a breakthrough.
Instead, it was Malta who delivered the decisive blow.
Ilyas Chouaref slid the ball to Grech at the edge of the box, and the substitute rifled home an unstoppable strike beyond goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo to make it 1–0.
From there, Finland launched wave after wave of attacks, but Malta defended with exceptional heart and discipline to secure a memorable win.
A Boost Before the Final Match
With this victory, Malta move to five points, climbing to fifth place in the group. It provides a huge confidence lift ahead of Monday’s final qualifier at the National Stadium against Poland.
The win also keeps alive Malta’s hope of finishing a World Cup qualifying cycle off the bottom of the group for the first time in several years.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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