Youthful Malta close European Qualifiers with defeat at home to Türkiye

2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup – European Qualifying – Group B2
Centenary Stadium, 09.06.2026

MALTA…0
TÜRKIYE…3
(HT 0-2)

7’ Alexandra Gatt (OG) (TUR), 38’ Ece Türkoğlu (TUR), 52’ Selen Altunkulak (TUR)

The Malta Women’s National Team closed their European Qualifying campaign with a defeat at home to a strong Türkiye side, after a tight encounter on Tuesday evening.

The match was off to an even start, but the visitors were the ones to take the lead, when a dangerous cross from the right was played inside the penalty area in the seventh minute, and the ball inadvertently went off Alexandra Gatt and into the Maltese goal.

Türkiye could have doubled their lead four minutes later, when another cross from the right was played, but the header to meet it was not clean, and the effort went over the bar.

Malta started to knit together more passes in the final third as the half wore on, with Maria Farrugia and Kailey Willis linking up well, up until the final pass.

However, the away side remained on the front foot, and in the 38th minute, they doubled their lead, when an excellently crafted move down the left led to the ball being squared to Ece Türkoğlu, who tapped the ball into the net from close range.

Türkiye went into the break two goals in front, with Malta seeking a way back into the encounter.

However, the away side were quick to extend their lead, when a lobbed pass down the left wing led to a low cross being fired into the Maltese penalty area from İlayda Civelek, finding the onrushing Selen Altunkulak, who stroked the ball past Maya Cachia.

In the 59th minute, Cachia was forced into making a smart stop, when a long-range effort from Ebru Topçu had to tipped over the bar. Türkiye came close to adding to their lead in the 63rd minute, when Melike Öztürk found some space inside the Maltese penalty area, but her effort went narrowly over the bar.

In the 67th minute, a long pass found Maria Farrugia down the left, who after playing the ball to Rachel Cuschieri, received the ball again from outside of the penalty area, but her shot was tame and saved by Gamze Yaman.

While Malta looked for a goal to get them back in the game, the away side continued to administer their lead, and the match finished 3-0 to the visitors.

The match did serve as an opportunity for Manuela Tesse to bring on some young talent, with Nyorah Celeste and Amy Catania both making their senior Malta debuts.

Malta
23 Maya Cachia (GK), 2 Alexandra Gatt (18 Emma Xuereb, 70’), 3 Tammy Falzon (13 Amy Catania, 78’), 4 Emma Lipman (C), 7 Emma Flannery (15 Veronique Mifsud, 84’), 8 Rachel Cuschieri, 9 Kailey Willis, 10 Maria Farrugia, 11 Jade Flask (19 Nyorah Celeste, 70’), 14 Shona Zammit, 17 Brenda Borg (20 Nicole Sciberras, 70’)
Coach: Manuela Tesse

Türkiye
23 Gamze Yaman (GK), 3 Fatma Şakar (18 Ece Tekmen, 79’), 4 Eda Karataş, 6 Selen Altunkulak, 8 Melike Pekel (22 Melike Öztürk, 56’), 10 Ebru Topçu (C), 11 Miray Cin (13 Vildan Kardesler, 56’), 15 Kezban Tağ, 16 Ece Türkoğlu (9 Kader Hançar, 46’), 17 İlayda Civelek, 20 Cansu Kaya (14 Halle Houssein, 46’)
Coach: Necla Gungor Kiragasi

Referee: Sabina Bolic (CRO)

Yellow cards: Kezban Tağ (TUR), Tammy Falzon (MLT), Shona Zammit (MLT)