Malta’s women’s football team made history with a comeback win over Latvia on Tuesday evening as they secured promotion in the UEFA Nations League.
Goals from Kailey Willis and Maria Farrugia were enough to secure a 2-1 victory in a do-or-die encounter against Latvia.
Malta needed a win or a draw to finish top of their UEFA Nations C Group in order to secure promotion, but it was not to come easy against second placed Latvia, who went ahead early in the second half courtesy of a penalty in the 49th minute.
It was the first goal that Malta had conceded in the whole six-match competition, but they were undeterred by the setback.
Kailey Willis, who plays her football in Italy, brought the game back level with a well-placed header from inside the box, and the UK-based Maria Farrugia put Malta in the lead and in party mode with a deft finish as she came one-on-one with the Latvian goalkeeper.
It is the first time ever that a Maltese national football team has secured a victory in a footballing tournament.
Photo by Domenic Aquilina shows Malta's Kailey Willis celebrating after scoring the 1-1 goal for her country against Latvia.