National stadium
Spectators: 10300 (Terracing: 7725,
Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Jonathan Sammut took the kick off in the first half of the match. Amarishnu Bhatti hit a great freekick 2 minutes into the match. Jonathan Sammut could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 9th minute of the match, but Anyuna Parab made a huge save. After 10 minutes, Agnisinha Aulakh made it 0-1 with a short kick to the right side. Malta's Leonardo Da Vinci tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. Leonardo Da Vinci showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Dhritiman Judge, who was totally free with the ball in the 13th minute. In the 14th minute Rajendran Kalra shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Leonardo Da Vinci saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 19 minutes into the match, India's goal looked a bit too open when Jonathan Sammut came free, but Anyuna Parab reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Malta's Leonardo Da Vinci played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Dhritiman Judge in the 28th minute of play. Leonardo Da Vinci showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Agnisinha Aulakh, who was totally free with the ball in the 31st minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Dhritiman Judge in the 32nd minute of play forced Malta's goalkeeper Leonardo Da Vinci to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Leonardo Da Vinci took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Dhritiman Judge, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Malta's Leonardo Da Vinci played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Rajendran Kalra in the 36th minute of play. Leonardo Da Vinci showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Rajendran Kalra, who was totally free with the ball in the 38th minute. In the 45th minute, Malta's Nikolai Incorvaia seemed to kick out at an opponent. The referee saw this and, surprisingly, showed Nikolai Incorvaia the red card, dismissing him from the pitch. The coaching staff of Malta protested bitterly, but the referee would have none of it, and Nikolai Incorvaia had no choice but to slowly walk off the pitch. 45 minutes into the game, one of Malta:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. After the first half India were leading 1-2. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.
The wind increased when Subhash Paranjpe made the kick off in the second half. An unexpectedly hard shot by Rajendran Kalra in the 54th minute of play forced Malta's goalkeeper Leonardo Da Vinci to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 56th match minute, Malta was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Owen Grech Cumbo to maneuver through the defense. In the 58th minute Subhash Paranjpe shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Leonardo Da Vinci saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 69th minute, Jonathan Sammut made a precise shot to the right of Anyuna Parab. India's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-2. Malta made a substitution. Giuseppe Preca replaced Jonathan Sammut. Malta made a substitution. Giovanni Demicoli replaced Jean Carl Mintoff. Through an outstanding action, after 73 minutes, Leonardo Da Vinci successfully got his hands on the ball before it slid into the goal at the right post. 76 minutes into the match, Giuseppe Preca notched a goal, 3-2, to the right of India's Anyuna Parab. Anyuna Parab was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. Mina Bajwa hit a great freekick 86 minutes into the match. Anyuna Parab stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Giuseppe Preca's shot from short distance in the 87th minute. With an all-out effort, India's Leonardo Da Vinci threw himself towards the right post 89 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Subhash Paranjpe, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. In the 97th minute, Giuseppe Preca made a precise shot to the right of Anyuna Parab. India's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 4-2. When the referee ended the match the Malta players were able to celebrate. They had won a fair victory and recieved the ovations of their fans.
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