Malta U-19 lost 4-1 away to their counterparts from Azerbaijan in a friendly match, in Baku, yesterday.

The opening half was evenly balanced with Joseph Mbong putting Malta in front with a 19th-minute opener and the hosts hitting back with two quick goals to take a 2-1 lead before half-time.

The second half started badly for the Maltese as Nicholas Pulis got sent off. Keeper Jamie Azzopardi then stopped a penalty but he was unable to deny the Azeris from making the final scoreline look more comfortable with two other goals late on.

This was coach David de Souza Nascimento’s debut at the helm of the Maltese U-19 team, currently preparing for the European Championship qualifiers in November.

De Souza Nascimento has a chance to try out new options in a second warm-up match against Azerbaijan, tomorrow.

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