The Malta U-19 national team celebrated their first victory in the European Championship finals by defeating Slovenia 16-8 in Burgas.

Determined to make their mark after finishing last in their group following losses to the Netherlands, Turkey, and France, Milan Cirovic’s squad delivered a dominant performance.

With this win, Malta advances to face either France or Czechia in a playoff for 13th and 14th place on Thursday.

Malta started strong, quickly establishing a 6-2 lead by the end of the first session. Their success was built on a solid defensive strategy that left Slovenia struggling to find the back of the net.

Alec Fenech was the standout performer in the opening session, scoring a hat-trick to put Malta in a commanding position. Jake Cachia, Luigi Mallia, and Luigi Dimech also contributed to the scoreline.

In the second session, Slovenia attempted a comeback, capitalising on Malta’s missed opportunities to narrow the gap to 8-6. Max Zammit was Malta’s sole scorer during this period, while Alec Fenech missed a penalty.

The third session saw Malta regain their composure. Jayden Cutajar’s penalty conversion extended Malta’s lead to three goals. The team’s defense tightened, shutting out Slovenia and adding to their advantage with goals from Dean Bugeja and another penalty from Luigi, bringing the score to 11-6 as they headed into the final quarter.

In the final session, Malta remained in control. Alec Fenech scored twice more, increasing the lead to six goals at 13-7. Malta continued to dominate, with Luigi Dimech, Luigi Mallia, and Julian Chircop rounding out the scoring to secure a final 16-8 victory.

Well done, team Malta!