The Maltese national team made history yesterday after moving to the next qualifying stage of the Women’s 2015 World Cup for the first time, finishing joint top of the preliminary round group following a 2-0 win over Latvia, at the Centenary Stadium.
The team coached by Pierre Brincat had good reason to be in party mood at the end of the match. They completed their group commitments with two wins and a draw from three matches to finish with seven points, the same as Albania who earlier in the afternoon had beaten group wooden spoonists Luxembourg 2-1.
Suada Jashari (16) and Furtuna Velaj (69) scored for Albania as Sophie Maurer hit Luxembourg’s temporarily equaliser just before half-time.
In Group A, Malta took the top position on better goals after scoring nine and conceding just one. Albania were five times on the mark in three matches. They let in two goals.
A draw would have been enough for the Maltese to secure their place in the next round yesterday. However, they ventured forward in attack but had to wait until the 45th minute to open the score when Dorianne Theuma blasted home from a free-kick she had just won from outside the Latvia box.
The eastern Europeans tried to hit back in the second half but were unable to breach the solid Maltese defensive lines. Then, seven minutes from time, Rachel Cuschieri took her chance well to double the lead for the hosts and dash Latvia’s hopes of a comeback.
Faroe Islands and Montenegro, the top two teams in the other mini-tournament, will be joining Malta and Albania into the next stage that will include 38 other teams. They will be split in seven groups of six nations each.
The draw will be made on April 16 and matches will be played on a home-and-away basis between September 20 this year and September 17, 2014.
The group winners will advance to the finals and the best four runners-up will figure in play-offs for the other UEFA spot in the tournament in Canada in 2015.
Malta: S. Costantino, R. D’Agostino, C. Zammit, G. Zahra, D. Theuma, R. Cuschieri, A. Sammut, S. Farrugia, E. Xuereb (B. Borg 58), Y. Carabott (N. Pace 88), N. Buttigieg (A. Grech 82).
Latvia: E.A. Vaivode, E. Spruntule, A. Proposina (L. Belavska 85), A. Rocane, G. Abolina, D. Tamsone, K. Luse, O. Matisa, I. Bidermane, S. Greijere (K. Girzda 57), O. Ivanova (D. Upesjure 86).
Referee: Yuliya Medvedeva-Keldyusheva (Kazakhstan).
Group A results: Albania vs Luxembourg 2-1; Malta vs Latvia 2-0.
Group A: Malta (2-1-0) 7; Albania (2-1-0) 7; Latvia (0-1-2) 1; Luxembourg (0-1-2) 1.
Group B: Faroe Islands (2-1-0) 7; Montenegro (1-2-0) 5; Georgia (1-0-2) 3; Lithuania (0-1-2) 1.