Football

International friendly · National Stadium, Ta’ Qali

Malta made it two wins in the September international window with a 2–0 friendly victory over Liechtenstein. Jake Grech opened the scoring for Emilio De Leo’s side before substitute Andrea Zammit doubled the lead in the second half.

The result follows Malta’s 2–1 Nations League comeback win away to Andorra earlier in the week. Malta return to competitive action at home to Gibraltar on Thursday 1 October, then face Andorra on Sunday 4 October at 18:00.

2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying · Group F

Malta’s Under-21 side suffered another difficult night at the Centenary Stadium, losing 4–0 to Northern Ireland.

• 31′ · Shea Kearney opened the scoring for the visitors.
• Before half-time · Jack Patterson doubled Northern Ireland’s lead.
• 63′ · Jack Patterson struck again to complete his brace.
• 72′ · Bayley McCann added the fourth goal.

Malta remain without a point after eight Group F matches. Their next qualifier is at home to Germany on 30 September.

Club appointment · UEFA Pro Licence

Żabbar St. Patrick FC have appointed Italian coach Adolfo Sormani as their new head coach following the departure of Gilbert Agius.

Sormani has worked in the youth setups at Juventus and Napoli and served as assistant coach to Gianfranco Zola at Watford. His senior coaching roles include Südtirol, Partizani Tirana and Vejle Boldklub, which he guided to promotion to the Danish Superliga.

Most recently, he coached HB Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, winning the Faroese Cup and two Super Cups. Giovanni Mazzella joins him at Żabbar as technical collaborator.

Club announcement · Mutual agreement

Żabbar St. Patrick FC and head coach Gilbert Agius have mutually agreed to part ways. The club thanked him for his professionalism, dedication and commitment.

Agius took charge in February 2026 at a difficult point in the Closing Round. Żabbar had no points after their first five matches, but he and the squad turned the campaign around and secured the club’s Premier League status for a third consecutive season.

The club extended his contract in May after achieving that milestone. A former Valletta and Malta captain, Agius had also coached Malta’s Under-21 team and worked in Indonesia with PSIS Semarang before taking the Żabbar post.

Żabbar wished Agius success in the next chapter of his career. Adolfo Sormani was subsequently named as his successor.