Malta women’s coach Mark Gatt could not have asked for anything better from his players when they hosted the 2017 UEFA Women’s Euro runners-up Denmark, last Friday.
The Maltese team, ranked 79 places below the Scandinavian side, were already trailing by two goals inside the first seven minutes of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier.
Denmark looked on course to another big victory against Gatt’s side after scoring 25 goals without reply in the previous three head to head encounters.
Nevertheless, Malta managed to leave a shaky start behind them and stepped up their performance at the Centenary Stadium.
“The team staged a well-oiled tactical performance against Denmark,” coach Gatt explained.
“They were brave enough to match Denmark’s quality with their own fighting spirit and it was not easy, especially after trailing by two goals so early in the game.