Under-16: Malta claim victory in the first of two friendlies in Acquaviva

The first of the two friendlies for the Under-16 National Team against their Maltese counterparts does not start at a frenetic pace, also due to the intense heat in Acquaviva. The first warning shot comes from the Titano side, with Semperlotti breaking away into open space and entering the box, only to be denied at the crucial moment by Magri with a great recovery. From the resulting corner, Enea Della Balda aims for Mularoni at the far post who, instead of shooting, looks to knock it down for Protti, but the latter is beaten to it. Malta try to respond to the excellent start made by the hosts with efforts from distance: Zerafa unleashes his right foot from a free-kick midway inside the San Marino half, but Casadei only needs to hold his position to claim it. Once the opening 15 minutes have passed, another big chance falls to San Marino. Protti races towards goal, supported by Semperlotti: the captain goes for goal, but his left-footed effort lacks power and Sissons is able to deal with it. The immediate reply from the islanders comes from a pass by Piscopo into the central run of Zerafa, who skips past the defenders and also the goalkeeper, but, forced wide, he has to surrender to the recovery of Forcellini. San Marino do not immediately shake off the scare. A couple of minutes later, Zerafa again puts on the afterburners down the left flank, goes past Faetanini and closes in on Casadei, who is immense in blocking the close-range attempt. In the 25th minute San Marino are dangerous again from a corner, once more taken by Della Balda: the ball travels all the way to the far post, where Semperlotti rises but cannot direct his header on target. San Marino do not step back, though. Very high pressing takes Della Balda to the byline: the number 10’s cross is perfect for Semperlotti, who, completely unmarked in the middle of the area, opts to control instead of going for the first-time finish, and the ball runs away from goal. As the half draws to a close, there is another good chance for Magnani’s men, with Semperlotti almost catching out Sissons with a long lob: the visiting goalkeeper quickly finds his bearings and with an acrobatic save keeps his team afloat. At the restart after the interval, the only change on the pitch is for San Marino: Casadei makes way for Francesco Della Balda. The new Titano keeper is forced to pick the ball out of his net after just 7 minutes: Mercieca drives down the right side of the home backline before squaring into the middle for Piscopo who, unmarked, has no difficulty in turning the ball into the net. Magnani uses the stoppage to make three further substitutions. Injected with fresh legs, San Marino throw themselves forward in search of an equaliser, which they find shortly before the hour mark. First, however, it takes a vital save from Francesco Della Balda on a close-range effort from Zerafa. The 1-1 is born from a brilliant move by Enea Della Balda, who shrugs off a couple of challenges on the byline before cutting the ball back to the middle for Protti, deadly in heading the ball down beyond Sissons. Malta, though, deserve credit for reacting very quickly. Just 120 seconds later, Magri’s deep cross is perfect for the run of Grech, who ghosts in at the far post and, with a precise volley, restores the visitors’ lead. That advantage becomes a two-goal cushion in the 70th minute, when Francesco Della Balda brings down Zerafa on the edge of the box; the latter steps up to the spot and is ice-cold and accurate with his finish. Meanwhile, changes come thick and fast from both benches. The match reaches the 78th minute, when a nice one-two on the edge of the area with Hijazi, one of the substitutes, allows Mercieca to burst clear in front of Della Balda and beat him with a composed finish. Jayden Vella comes close to making it 5-1 with a left-footed effort from the edge of the box that drifts just wide. The fifth goal arrives right at the death, with Micallef pouncing on a ball lost by San Marino in midfield and beating the home keeper with a very well-struck shot from distance. The visitors’ final attempt comes from Jayden Borg, off target by a matter of centimetres. The first round between the two sides thus ends 5-1, and they will meet again, once more in Acquaviva, on Wednesday 7 September. Kick-off at 16:00.

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Under-16 National Team, International Friendly | San Marino – Malta 1-5   SAN MARINO U16 Casadei (from 46' F. della Balda); Mularoni (from 53' Zavoli), Faetanini (from 63' Marani), Marinucci, Forcellini (from 75' Bernardi); Bindi (from 53' Colonna), E. Della Balda (from 75' Giorgetti), Pasolini (from 63' Ugolini), Valentini (from 53' Contucci); Protti, Semperlotti (from 63' Baldacci) Substitutes: Tassinari Coach: Matteo Magnani   MALTA Sissons; Magri, Joyce, El-Nasar (from 81' Pullicino); A. Vella (from 63' J. Vella), Farrugia (from 63' Micallef), Jake Borg, Grech (from 75' Grima); Piscopo (from 63' Hijazi), Mercieca (from 81' Grioli), Zerafa (from 75' Jayden Borg) Substitutes: Massa, Seychell Coach: Andrea Vella   Referee: Michele Beltrano Assistant referees: Gianmarco Ercolani, Laura Cordani Booked: Pasolini, Grech, Marani Scorers: 52' Piscopo, 59' Protti, 61' Grech, 70' pen. Zerafa, 78' Mercieca, 88' Micallef

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