Malta to face Italy in opener
Portugal, Poland complete Group A
The Malta national team were handed a very tough draw for the UEFA U-19 Championship as the draws of the finals tournament, that will be held on our island this summer, was held at the Manoel Theatre, in Valletta yesterday.
Malta, guided by coach Toze Mendes, were put in Group A and were pitted against Portugal, Poland and Italy.
On the other hand, Group B, will be formed by Iceland, Greece, Norway and Spain.
The UEFA U-19 Championship will get under way on July 3 and will come to a close with the final on July 16.
No doubt, the Maltese youngsters will be bracing themselves for a very tough experience in the championships as they will be up against some formidable opponents.
Portugal reached the final when topping their Elite Round group without dropping a single point and have a great tradition in UEFA youth tournaments and have won the U-19 title in 2018.
On the other hand, Italy, crowned European U-19 champions in 2003, had to battle hard to reach the finals as they edged Germany in the Elite Round group and will be looking to improve on last year’s result which saw them reach the semi-finals.
Poland, on the other hand, reached the finals after just finishing ahead of Israel in the Elite Round group.
The Maltese youngsters will have a tasty opening match in the tournament when they face Italy on July 3, a match which is likely to attract a huge crowd to the stadium.
In Group B, Iceland, the other debutant country in the tournament, travel to Malta after knocking out holders England in the Elite Round group.
The Nordic country were pitted against Greece, Norway and Spain.
Present for yesterday’s draw was MFA president Bjorn Vassallo who said that he had no doubt the UEFA U-19 championship finals this summer will have a lasting impact on young players.
“This is the second time that the Malta FA is hosting a major UEFA tournament in the space of a few years,” Vassallo said.
“In 2014, we had the UEFA U17 championship and that tournament has inspired by hundreds of youngsters who today have embarked on a playing career in Malta. I am sure that the U-19 championships this summer will also have a huge impact on our youngsters it will be a tournament where legends are born.”
THE DRAW
GROUP A
Malta; Portugal; Poland; Italy.
GROUP B
Iceland; Greece; Norway; Spain.