The Malta women’s national team wrapped up their February international window duties with two victories over Luxembourg.
Yesterday, Manuela Tesse’s side followed up Friday’s win with a 3-1 victory that will serve as a boost injection ahead of September’s debut in the Nations League.
Under the guidance of the former Italy international, Malta scored five goals in two games but could have easily found the net on more occasions having dominated 118th-ranked Luxembourg over the 180 minutes of play.
For Emma Lipman, who captained the side in the first game, these two victories were the perfect start as 88th-ranked Malta ushered into a new era.
“It was great to get back together,” Lipman told the Times of Malta.
“We had a long time off and we have not been together since September, so it was always going to be a little rusty coming in. I think we crammed about a month of work into eight days and you can see it on the pitch, but obviously, we have a lot to work on.”
The Como Women player hailed her team’s character for putting up two commanding displays against Luxembourg.
Young forward Kailey Willis, who also plays in Italy at Chievo Verona, opened her Malta account with two quick goals early in the game.
Swieqi United’s Jade Flask added Malta’s third as she continues to excel in her new striker position, leading the domestic championship with 14 goals.
“The main thing is we got two wins,” Lipman said.
“We found the victory in the first game and I think we were pretty much in control of the second one too. So all in all, I think has been really positive.”
The former Roma and Lazio player, who collected her 20th cap in the first Luxembourg friendly, admitted that it was a bit of a whirlwind with the new coach coming in but her experience in Italian football allowed her to adapt quickly to Tesse’s leadership.
“She hails from Italy, and obviously I know about the Italian so for me it was easier to adapt,” she explained.
“Some of the other girls are still adapting to her, but that is fine. She is incredibly passionate and she sees a lot of potential in us.”
