Under-14: Malta win the second meeting 4-1

Second friendly meeting in forty-eight hours for the San Marino and Malta Under-14s. Two new faces in the Maltese starting line-up: Camenzuli and Grech, who had not played a single minute last Wednesday. In the starting XI for the Biancazzurre instead are Amati, Della Balda, Lepri and Testoni. Several key players from the comprehensive midweek win are unavailable, such as Montebelli, Augusto Ceccoli and Prendi – as well as Luca Michelotti. After one opportunity each for Stevanovic and Montali, it is San Marino who break the deadlock. Roe is overconfident and loses the ball in his own penalty area under pressure from Aureli, ice-cool in beating Micallef. Malta, however, show a very different attitude and draw level on 24 minutes with a splendid vertical move starting from Busuttil’s long ball and Stevanovic’s assist, which gifts Camenzuli a golden chance to equalise. Four minutes later Mazza goes it alone, capping his solo run with a right-footed effort that clips the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten. Before the interval Stevanovic twice comes close to the goal that would complete the turnaround, which duly arrives after the restart. Ninety seconds into the second half Vella shoots wide from the edge of the box, while on 51 minutes Buttigieg conjures up a wonder goal for 2-1. A curling right-footed strike into the top corner that kisses the bar before nestling unstoppably in the net. The goal knocks the wind out of San Marino, who are then rescued by the woodwork from Busuttil’s free-kick and Vella’s shot-cross. Deep into added time the visitors add gloss to the scoreline with Vella’s close-range finish – set up in the area by Zerafa – and a double attempt in the box from Roe, after which referee Andrea Righi blows for full-time. Malta’s Under-14s thus return the 4-1 scoreline to their San Marino counterparts, who had won by the same margin last Wednesday.  

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International U14 friendlies, game 2 | San Marino-Malta 1-4 SAN MARINO R. Michelotti (from 54' Della Valle); Monaldi, Piergiacomi, Amati (from 59' Gasperoni), Della Balda; Angelini (from 54' Borgelli), Mazza (from 54' Frulli), Lepri (from 65' M. Ceccoli); Testoni (from 59' Achilli), Aureli, Montali Substitutes: Fabbri Head coach: Dario Vanni   MALTA Micallef; Grech, Roe, Bonnici; Gatt (from 73' Higgans), Aquilina, Busuttil, Galea; Buttigieg (from 61' Hili); Camenzuli (from 41' Vella), Stevanovic (from 76' Zerafa) Substitutes: Mulholland, Mangion, Miceli, Dullard, Attard Head coach: Charles Sciberras   Referee: Andrea Righi Assistant referees: Andrea Zaghini and Elisa Cecchetti Fourth official: Alessandro Vandi Scorers: 17' Aureli, 24' Camenzuli, 53' Buttigieg, 80'+1' Vella, 80'+4' Roe Booked: Gasperoni, Monaldi

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