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Malta and Romania end their contest in a 1-1 draw

Published: 07-09-2016 10:10
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 In preparation for their 2017 UEFA Women’s Under 17 European Championships qualifications, Malta will be protagonist of a double-header against Romania, with the first encounter being this evening, in which Malta and Romania shared an enjoyable 1-1 draw, with Malta scoring first in the second half and the away side replying with a dramatic goal on the 79th minute.   Malta and Romania shared possession in the early minutes of the encounter, with Romania knocking on Malta’s door first, as they hit the post with a low-drive through their skipper, Melinda Nagy. As time went by, the Romanian girls started to pile pressure on the Maltese back-line, and they almost forged ahead with a splendid shot from Madaduma Boros, whose effort hit the woodwork. The hosts rarely concerned their opponents, with the latter pushing to break the deadlock but they struggled to slip behind Malta’s defensive players, with the first 40 minutes ending in a stalemate. After the interval, Romania resumed where they had left, as they remained superior on ball possession although Malta were always breathing down on their neck. The away side came close to shed first blood, when on the 47th minute, Boros did the impossible by hitting the woodwork at an empty net, followed by a last-ditch tackle by captain Leanne Cefai on the rebound, keeping the score intact. Yet, it was Malta who forged ahead courtesy of a delightful strike from the edge of the area from Gozitan player Maria Farrugia. Romania managed to level terms in the final minutes of the match, when Boros shocked the Maltese back-line with an acrobatic shot, leaving no time for Patricia Ebejer to keep a clean sheet. Both sides will cross swords against each other once again, with the encounter scheduled to start at 10 in the morning. Malta starting XI: Patricia Ebejer; Kimberley Borg, Chloe Ann Ellul, Leanne Cefai ©, Nicole Sciberras, Celeste Grech, Keeva Camilleri, Maria Farrugia, Amy Busutill, Sarah Urpani and Michela Felice.