A spirited Malta Under-19 side narrowly went down to Group favourites France in the first match of the UEFA U19 Qualifying tournament being held in Malta this week.
Malta are pitted in Group 6 together with the French, Belgium and Lithuania.
In the first match at the Centenary Stadium, Malta faced none other than their more illustrious opponents from France. Despite going down to a first half goal from Charles Abi in the 35th minute, the Maltese ably led by coach Winston Muscat and his assistant Charles Scerri, proved to be a real handful for the French.
Malta's captain Dejan Debono stood out for Malta in the heart of the Maltese defence with a fine display.
Malta will now come up against another difficult opponent - Belgium on Saturday and will conclude their commitments on Tuesday against Lithaunia.
Copyright © Domenic Aquilina