Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495665
17 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 MARCH 2023 KARL AZZOPARDI THOUSANDS are expected to fill Ta' Qali Stadium as Malta hosts reigning European football champions Italy tonight in the sec- ond-round Euro 2024 qualifier. Both teams lost their opening qualifi- ers with an identical 2-1 scoreline last Thursday as Malta succumbed to North Macedonia and Italy were mauled by England. It will be a tough match for the Maltese team, but fans will hope that a sold-out stadium cheering on the men in red will help spur them on to achieve a surprise result. This will be the ninth time in their his- tory that Malta and Italy will face each other. For the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Malta was drawn against Italy, England, Ukraine and North Macedonia in what is a very attractive group for football fans. The tie will give the Maltese a chance to prove themselves against some of the top talents in the world. The first match between Malta and It- aly was played on the 6 December 1986, with the Azzuri winning 2-0 at Ta' Qali Stadium thanks to goals by Riccardo Fer- ri u Alessandro Altobelli. Altobelli had also missed two penalties. The return leg, played at the Stadio At- leti Azzurri d'Italia in Bergamo, saw the Italians winning 5-0. Goals were scored by Salvatore Bagni, Giuseppe Bergomi, the late Gianluca Vialli and a brace by Alessandro Altobelli. But football old-timers will remember mostly the December 1992 match, part of the World Cup qualifiers played at Ta' Qali when Malta missed out on a historic draw, losing 2-1. Malta's Kris Laferla had missed a penalty and in the dying min- utes of the game Martin Gregory tapped into the back of the net to send shivers down Italian spines as a vibrant Malta team surged forward. The last match between the two was played in September 2015 at the Sta- dio Artemio Franchi in Firenze, with Pelle' scoring a controversial goal which could have easily been a foul in Malta's favour. In the post-match press confer- ence, coach Antonio Conte had refused to answer questions on the controversial decision. In the eight-previous matchups, the Azzuri always won, scoring 21, and con- ceding two goals. First round result A plucky Malta was undone by two quick goals in the space of a few minutes by North Macedonia in its debut match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. The match marked the debut of Michele Marcolini as Malta national team coach. North Macedonia scored two goals in the 65th and 71st minute with substitute Yannick Yankam grabbing one back for Malta in the 81st minute. Despite Mal- ta's pressing to try and draw level, the North Macedonians held strong to leave the pitch with their first three points. Playing in the same group as Malta, It- aly suffered a 2-1 defeat at home in Na- ples at the hands of England. Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot to become the all-time top scorer for England. Declan Rice opened the score after 13 minutes, followed by Kane's penalty in the 44th minute. Italy's Matteo Re- tegui grabbed one for the home team at the change of ends in the 56th minute. England had to play the last 10 minutes of the game with a man less after Luke Shaw was given the marching orders. Euro 2024 football qualifiers Malta host reigning European champions Italy in sold-out stadium In the footsteps of legends: Malta-based driver gears up for Formula 4 season KARL AZZOPARDI AT just 15-years-old, Zach David is living the dream of many motorsport racing fans by securing his place in a Formula 4 grid line up. David, a Malta-based Filipino teen will be racing in the F4 Italian cham- pionship, hoping to start achieving his dream to one-day race in the top mot- orsport competition, the Formula 1. "I try not to think about it too much, I take it day by day, race by race, but sometimes you look back and think this F1 legend raced here," he said. "It feels good, and I'm privileged to race in Formula 4. Not many people have the opportunity that I do, so I want to make the most of it." David will be racing with German team US Racing. The Italian F4 Cham- pionship is undoubtedly one of, if not the toughest junior single seater cate- gories in Europe. There were 55 differ- ent drivers competing last year (includ- ing several Formula 1 junior drivers) with the average grid size regularly sur- passing 30 entries. In the coming season, he will be rac- ing in historic tracks like Spa-Francor- champ, Circuit Paul Ricard, Monza, Imola and Mugello. A successful season or two could mean that David is spotted by larger franchises, giving him the opportunity to race in higher formula divisions. But making it to the top means a lot of hard work and sacrifices for the 15-year-old. "In the off-season, or when I'm not racing, I am at the gym or running to get my mind and body in shape for the race. You must do a bit of everything – endurance, stamina, and a bit of strength, but you also must work on the mental aspect to ensure you are fully focused during the duration of the race." "It's about managing my time smart- ly and having a good group of people around who can support me and who are able to accommodate and help me in whatever I do. It's a bit difficult to have a social life, but having friends back home and friends at the racetrack helps," he told MaltaToday. The cars Zach David drives are small- er versions of the cars motorsport fans see whizzing around on tracks during Formula 1 race-weekend, but are still able to reach speeds of 240km/h. "When I'm driving, I don't care too much about the speed, there are other things I must think about – to make a good lap, to overtake a driver, but when you do get into the car for the first time, you do feel the difference in speed. It's a big eye-opening moment," he said. Recalling the first time he made the switch from karting to Formula 4, Da- vid said it felt "great", and while he is adamant on remaining grounded, for him it meant being a step closer to rac- ing in the top formula divisions. "Crashing is part of motorsport, and while it may seem a scary prospect for others, for David its part of the learning curve. You must accept that you will crash, because motorsport is a dan- gerous sport, but you can't fear it. You can't go into a race thinking 'I don't want to crash' because it might happen even more," he said. Speaking on the local scene, he praised the job the Malta Motorsport Federation are doing in pushing the sport. "They are doing a good job in improving the motorsport scene in Malta, and sooner or later a couple of talents will make it to the top." Malta's starting 11 for Thursday's match against Macedonia