Back-to-back wins over Andorra and Georgia have put Malta in pole position to advance to the main group stage of the 2017 Women’s European Champion-ship but coach Mark Gatt is not getting carried away.
Malta’s nail-biting 2-1 win over Georgia on Monday has been greeted with euphoria but Gatt, who succeeded Pierre Brincat as national coach earlier this year, insisted yesterday that his players are keeping their feet on the ground ahead of their make-or-break preliminary-round clash with Faroe Islands at the Tedesco Stadium this morning.
“We are aware that every good performance and result for our team brings a lot of satisfaction but we’re not taking anything for granted,” Gatt told a news conference at the Seabank Hotel.
“We are pleased with what we’ve done so far but we are keeping our feet on the ground. The other teams are also determined to qualify from this group.
“There is no added pressure though. This is essentially a new team and we didn’t enter this tournament with big ambitions.
“Our objective has always been to raise the level of our football and if the results come our way, that will be a bonus.”
With a maximum six points from their first two games, Malta only need a point from their clash against Faroe Islands to qualify for the next stage but Gatt has dismissed the notion that the hosts may set out to draw the match.
“I’m not even considering that,” Gatt replied when reminded of the risks of playing for a point.
“It would be a mistake if we go out with the aim of getting a draw.”
After scoring a brace in the opening 5-3 defeat of Andorra, captain Dorianne Theuma further underlined her status as the country’s leading player with a last-gasp winner against Georgia.
Rachel Cuschieri, who plays for Cypriot club Apollon Limassol, has also caught the eye but Gatt insisted that all players in his squad are important.
“Of course, every team have players who stand out from the rest but we definitely need everybody,” the Malta coach said.
“I prefer to look at my squad collectively.”
Although Malta are in a strong position to top the group, the qualification issue is wide open as Faroe Islands and Georgia, both on three points, are still in contention.
Upbeat Olsen
Faroe Islands coach Jon Pauli Olsen is upbeat about his team’s chances to claim top spot in Group 2.
“It has been a very exciting tournament,” Olsen said.
“Anything can happen in the last games. Malta are the big favourites because they have six points but there are three teams that can still go through.”
Olsen believes that Malta and Faroe Islands are on a par.
“The teams are on the same level,” he said.
“It’s all about who plays better on the day. At the moment, Malta are ahead of us in the group standings.
“A draw would be enough for them whereas we need to win. We hope to get the result we need to qualify.”
Georgia, who beat the Faroese 2-0 in their opening game, will be eyeing a high-scoring win against debutants Andorra today and hope that the result of the Malta-Faroe Islands game goes their way.
Coach Tomasz Kostava said: “We expect to win our game against Andorra and we will certainly fight to gain the three points.
“Anything can happen on the final day of the competition.”
Andorra have no chance of qualifying after losing their first two games but coach Juan Carles Ruiz Garcia believes that the experience will benefit his new team.
“This has been a difficult tournament for Andorra because this it is the first time we’re playing in this competition,” Garcia said.
“Our team is like a baby, we need to grow but I believe that we are making progress.”
According to the competition regulations, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points at the end of a mini-tournament, the three main criteria to determine the final rankings are:
a) higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
b) superior goal difference resulting from the group matches played among the teams in question; and
c) higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question.
Current standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Malta | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| Georgia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| F. Islands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Andorra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 |
Today’s fixtures
Tedesco Stadium
Malta vs Faroe Islands - 11am
National Stadium
Andorra vs Georgia - 11am