With Milena Nikolić's goals in the 64' and 94', the BiH team again beat Malta 2:1 after a comeback. Nikolić has become deadly for the Maltese, having also scored the only goal in the away match earlier. Despite missing a penalty in the stoppage time of the first half, our captain scored twice in the second half to become the star of this thrilling match.
In the first half in Zenica, our players had the first chance, but instead of shooting, Emina Ekić decided to pass and the ball didn’t reach Nikolić. Soon, the punishment arrived. In the 10th minute, Borg brilliantly assisted Farrugia, who scored for Malta's 1:0 lead. Five minutes later, the BiH team had a chance to equalize, but Milena Nikolić's header went wide. In the 33rd minute, the visitors could have doubled their lead. Cuschieri took an excellent free kick, Hodžić saved it, and Bugeja sent the rebound wide. In the last minute of the first half, Gačanica had a chance to score with a header, but she shot poorly. Following that, in the second minute of stoppage time, Gačanica was well-positioned, but Said fouled her, resulting in a penalty. Captain Milena Nikolić took responsibility but unfortunately missed from the spot, leaving Malta's team with the halftime lead.
In the second half, our team started with a slightly different setup, as Milinković played in the midfield. However, Malta took the first chance via Bugeja, whose attempt was saved by Hodžić. Four minutes later, Gačanica tried an attractive backheel from Amela Kršo’s cross, but the ball went wide. Kršo’s next cross turned into an assist, with Milena Nikolić heading the ball to equalize. Nothing happened much until the 85th minute, when Husić shot from a distance, but Malta's goalkeeper saved it. Then, the decisive moment came; Andrea Čule made an excellent cross from the left, which Milena Nikolić controlled perfectly and scored with her left foot to secure another victory for our women’s team, which now has six points from four qualifiers.
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Malta 2:1
Referee: Sofik Torosyan (Armenia)
Yellow Cards: Aida Hadžić, Emina Ekić, Gloria Slišković, Marija Ana Milinković
Goals: 0:1 - Maria Farrugia 10’, 1:1 - Milena Nikolić 64’, 2:1 - Milena Nikolić 94’
BiH lineup: Almina Hodžić, Gloria Slišković, Marija Ana Milinković, Melisa Hasanbegović, Milena Nikolić, Emina Ekić (89' Alma Krajnić), Selma Kapetanović (79' Andrea Čule), Minela Gačanica (72' Sofija Krajšumović), Amela Kršo, Dajana Spasojević (79' Elma Husić), Aida Hadžić (46' Ena Šabanagić) / Coach: Selver Hodžić
Malta lineup: Patricia Ebejer, Ann-Marie Said, Emma Lipman, Stefania Farrugia, Rachel Cuschieri, Alishia Sultana (74' Nicole Sciberras), Maria Farrugia, Shona Zammit, Charlene Zammit, Brenda Borg (86' Maya Lucia), Haley Bugeja (74' Kailey Willis) / Coach: Manuela Tesse
