Tesse urges Malta to bounce back after false start against Cyprus in UEFA Nations League

Coach Manuela Tesse entered the UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign with high hopes, amidst her recent four-year contract extension, aiming for an opening victory over Cyprus.

Such a win would have uplifted the Maltese squad as they pursue promotion to League B for the second successive edition.

In her pre-match remarks, Tesse emphasised that this phase marks a reset rather than a restart, lavishing praise on her national team, likening them to her ‘Real Madrid’.

Despite their superior quality and FIFA ranking, Malta failed to assert dominance against Cyprus in the group opener.

Ranked 86th in the FIFA list, Malta are facing opponents that are several places below them in Andorra (183rd), Cyprus (133rd), and Georgia (119th). The pressure is on Malta as they are clear favorites based on these rankings.

But the Maltese players failed to deliver on the day as they slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Larnaca.

Tesse attributed Malta’s lacklustre performance to insufficient aggression and intensity, particularly evident in a first half where Cyprus’s high press caught them off guard.

Despite a fortunate goal for Cyprus from a deflected shot, the hosts dominated early proceedings, even hitting the woodwork.

“There are important lessons to take from this match,” Tesse told the Times of Malta.

“No matter how strong our players are, winning is never guaranteed – it depends on our will to fight. And in that first half, we didn’t fight. That ultimately determined the outcome of the match.

“On the other hand, Cyprus had a strong first half, but only because we allowed them to play. It felt as if we weren’t even on the pitch.”

The Italian coach found positives in Malta’s second-half response, highlighting the impact performance of substitute Alishia Cassar, who played despite the recent passing of her grandmother.

“The turning point came at half-time when we introduced Alishia Cassar,” she explained.

“Her professionalism was beyond words, playing exceptionally well despite the personal loss of her grandmother just yesterday. Her presence changed our game in the second half.”

Tesse attempted to invigorate her team with substitutions, including debutant Fiona Buttigieg of Luton Town and Roma youngster Lexine Farrugia, but probably these changes came too late to alter the outcome of the match.

“The truth is, the loss was deserved because our approach to the game was completely wrong,” a disappointed Tesse underlined.

“We were slow and lacked aggression – something we’ve consistently shown over the past two years.

“Malta has demonstrated aggression in previous matches, but today, we failed to bring that intensity.”

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s match against Andorra, Tesse faces the task of motivating her team and finding the right tactical adjustments to revive Malta’s campaign and maintain their promotion aspirations.