Malta produced a thrilling late comeback to defeat Croatia 3–2 on Friday evening, capping off a determined team performance with two goals in the final minutes.
The hosts began brightly, showing confidence and intent against their highly regarded opponents. Their early pressure paid off after just 15 minutes when Maria Farrugia burst down the right flank before delivering a precise pass into the path of Rachel Cuschieri, who calmly finished from close range to put Malta 1–0 ahead.
Croatia attempted to hit back quickly, enjoying a spell of possession as they forced Malta deeper, but the Maltese defence handled the pressure well, limiting the visitors to long-range crosses and half-chances. Malta remained composed and carried their lead into the interval.
The second half began in stark contrast to the first, with Croatia overturning the scoreline in a rapid two-minute spell. In the 50th minute, Karla Kurkutović lifted a looping effort over goalkeeper Giulia D’Antuono to level the match. Moments later, Ivana Rudelić drilled a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, completing Croatia’s sudden turnaround and making it 2–1.
Malta refused to let the setback derail them. They pushed forward again, with Maria Farrugia continuing to trouble the Croatian backline. On the hour mark, Farrugia intercepted a loose ball and played in Shona Zammit, whose low strike curled just wide.
The hosts’ persistence was finally rewarded in the 82nd minute. Substitute Leah Ayres powered down the left and squared the ball to Sara Saliba, who spun sharply before placing her finish beyond the goalkeeper to restore parity at 2–2.
Only two minutes later, the stadium erupted again as Malta completed their comeback. Farrugia controlled a loose ball inside the box and unleashed a fierce shot that crashed off the crossbar and crossed the line, sealing a dramatic 3–2 lead.
Malta managed the closing stages with composure, defending resolutely to secure an impressive victory over strong opposition.
The two teams will meet again on Monday, 1st December, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00.
MALTA 3
CROATIA 2
(Half-time: 1–0)
Scorers:
15’ Rachel Cuschieri (MLT), 50’ Karla Kurkutović (CRO), 51’ Ivana Rudelić (CRO), 82’ Sara Saliba (MLT), 84’ Maria Farrugia (MLT)
Line ups
Malta
1 Giulia D’Antuono (GK), 4 Emma Lipman (C), 5 Stephania Farrugia, 8 Rachel Cuschieri, 9 Kailey Willis (7 Sara Saliba, 62’), 10 Maria Farrugia, 13 Maya Lucia (2 Alexandra Marcella Gatt, 46’), 14 Shona Zammit, 18 Yulya Carella (11 Leah Ayres, 79’), 20 Nicole Sciberras, 22 Rebecca Bajada
Coach: Manuela Tesse
Croatia
1 Doris Bačić (GK) (C), 2 Lucia Orkić (14 Antonia Dulčić, 90’), 3 Ana Jelenčić, 4 Lucija Vunić (11 Ivana Slipčević, 90’), 6 Tea Vračević, 8 Maja Joščak, 9 Ivana Rudelić (18 Ella Luština, 90+5’), 13 Helena Spajić, 19 Janja Čanjevac, 20 Karla Kurkutović (10 Izabela Lojna, 65’), 21 Barbara Živković (7 Petra Mikulica, 65’)
Coach: Nenad Gračan
Referee: Emanuela Rusta (ALB)
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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