Malta girls draw 0-0 with Estonia in Aphrodite Cup opener

The Malta women’s team began their commitments in the 2019 Aphrodite Cup in Limassol with a goalless draw against Estonia on Wednesday.   Led by coach Mark Gatt, the Maltese girls produced a commendable performance in a balanced match. Gatt’s starting formation was a blend of experience and youth as established players like captain Dorianne Theuma, Ylenia Carabott and Stephania Farrugia were joined by up-and-coming talents like Maria Farrugia, Nicole Sciberras and Brenda Borg. Malta created a host of scoring opportunities, going close with efforts from Maria Farrugia and Brenda Borg who were denied by the woodwork. Estonia also had their moments but Malta were very solid at the back while goalkeeper Janice Xuereb pulled off a crucial save in a one-on-one situation to keep the opponents at bay. “I’m satisfied with the team’s performance,” Gatt told www.mfa.com.mt. “It was a good start for us. We were very organised, especially at the back where Charlene Zammit and Nicole Siberras defended solidly throughout, and also created a host of scoring chances. “We couldn’t make the most of our scoring opportunities and this is an area we need to improve on in our next matches against Cyprus and Lithuania.” Kayleigh Chetcuti made her senior debut for Malta after coming on as a substitute for Brenda Borg. In the first half, Carabott had to leave the field after suffering an injury. She was replaced by Martina Borg. Malta meet hosts Cyprus in their second match tomorrow (Thursday) before concluding their campaign against Lithuania on Saturday. MALTA’S STARTING FORMATIONJanice Xuereb, Nicole Sciberras, Jade Flask, Stephania Farrugia (Rebecca Bajada), Dorianne Theuma, Brenda Borg (Kayleigh Chetcuti), Ylenia Carabott (Martina Borg), Maria Farrugia, Shona Zammit (Roxanne Micallef), Alishia Sultana, Charlene Zammit.