Tesse upbeat on Malta women’s improvement despite League B relegation

In the upcoming edition of the Nations League, Malta will be playing League C football again after their second-tier fate was sealed following Friday’s home defeat against Northern Ireland.

Malta’s final match from this group pits them against leaders Portugal who have already booked their spot in the Euro 2025 play-offs, scheduled for later this year.

Led by Italian coach Manuela Tesse, the Maltese side managed to score just once in five outings – away against Bosnia-Herzegovina, while conceding seven goals including the two which helped Northern Ireland win at the Centenary Stadium.

As expected, Malta found the going tough in Europe’s second-tier where they were playing against teams who participated in both the European Championships and the World Cup.

League B football served as an important platform for the local women’s game with Tesse hoping that lessons can be learned from this experience.

“I think this League B journey was a big experience for everyone involved in the team,” Tesse told the Times of Malta.

“We showed that we could play football, even against the big teams like Northern Ireland as we were technically better, and they just banked on direct football.

The performances shown in League B bode well for the future but we have to keep in mind that we are Malta and while are walking very fast in our progress, the other nations are running.”

The former Serie A Femminile coach pointed out that the Maltese players need to work on their physicality as that remains a discrepancy between her selection and the other teams, especially in League B.

Moreover, she was disappointed with her team’s lack of shots on target despite playing with a purpose when in possession.

“We played fantastically in the first half and technically I saw huge improvement from the previous matches,” she explained.

“However, there is a golden rule in football – if you don’t shoot, you cannot score, and it’s a pity for all the possession and chances we had in this match.”

For the upcoming match against Portugal, Tesse will be without Inter forward Haley Bugeja who is ruled out after picking up an injury midway into the first half against Northern Ireland.

Mġarr United’s Rebecca Bajada will be joining the squad.

Portugal, on their part, are at the back of a goalless draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina as they remain top of the group on 13 points.