The Malta under-21 team drew 1-1 in a challenging football match against a strong Slovak squad.

The opposing team took the lead in the first half of the game, but the home team quickly caught up with them during the second half.

“During the first period, the Slovaks were the better side but made mistakes during the build-up which proved nearly fatal. Shots by Nicolas Sikula and Mate Szolgai at 6 and 18 minutes respectively were well-paraded by Matthias Debono. On the other side on 20 minutes, center-back James Vella headed inches over the crossbar and in the attack that followed,” the Malta Football Association said.

“Debono again did well to block a Dominik Holly attempt. However, in 28 minutes, Debono was beaten by Balint Csoka’s curling shot from the edge of the box which gave the Slovakians the lead. Three minutes later, a Mattia Veselji attempt was turned into a corner by Samuel Belanik while on 34 minutes, a tricky long-distance shot by Holly sailed inches over the crossbar.

Due to Slovakia’s participation in one of the five European teams competing in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which begins on May 20 in Indonesia, the Maltese draw is particularly impressive.

Overall, a respectable outcome against one of the more powerful teams in Europe at this level.