Malta took the lead in the 15th minute through Cuschieri, but Croatia produced a strong turnaround at the start of the second half. Karla Kurkutović equalised in the 50th minute, and just one minute later Ivana Rudelić scored to give Croatia a 2–1 lead.

The hosts, however, did not give up. In the 82nd minute Saliba levelled the score, and only two minutes later Farrugia scored the winning goal, sealing a 3–2 victory for Malta.

Croatia’s lineup: Bačić, Orkić (Vunić 89'), Jelenčić, Vunić (Slipčević 89'), Vračević, Joščak, Rudelić (Ljuština 90'+2), Spajić, Čanjevac, Kurkutović (Mikulica 64'), Živković (Lojna 64').

The next match against Malta is scheduled for 1 December at 17:00, again at the Centenary Stadium.

Izabela Lojna earns her 100th cap for Croatia

A special milestone marked the match, as Izabela Lojna made her 100th appearance for the Croatian national team, becoming only the third player in history to reach this achievement.

After the match, Lojna shared her thoughts:

“Of course, it’s a great honour to reach 100 appearances for the dearest jersey, for something sacred. But unfortunately, today wasn’t our day, so it wasn’t a very nice 100th appearance.”

She also recalled her international debut:

“I think I was 18 years old, in 2009, against Serbia — and we lost.”

On her future plans, she added:

“Plans going forward? At the moment, I’m not thinking about retirement; I believe I can still give a lot. But I need to talk to the head coach and the coaching staff to see what comes next. As for plans beyond that — we’ll see.”