Lehmann Bags 10th Goal as Swiss Overpower Malta 4-1 – But Wälti Demands a Proper Rout!
Switzerland Women cruised to a 4-1 win over Malta in 2027 World Cup qualifying, with Alisha Lehmann scoring her 10th international goal amid a 28-shot barrage. Captain Lia Wälti was unimpressed by the lack of ruthlessness, demanding bigger scorelines, while the team eyes improvement ahead of Turkey clashes. The result keeps their perfect start in League B2 intact.
Imagine turning up to a match where your lot should be popping champagne by half-time, but instead they're huffing and puffing like they've had one too many at the local. That's the tale of Switzerland Women's 4-1 thumping of Malta in their 2027 World Cup qualifying romp. Alisha Lehmann, the Leicester City sensation turning heads everywhere, slotted home her 10th international strike to set the tone early doors.
Blistering Start Turns into a Shooting Gallery
It all kicked off in dream fashion for Rafel Navarro's charges. Iman Beney cracked the opener in the eighth minute, and just two ticks later, Lehmann was at it – latching onto a pearler of a through ball, she shrugged off the keeper with a cool-as-you-like first-time finish. The Swiss were rampant, unleashing 28 shots on the Malta goal, but here's the kicker: only 12 found the target. It's like they brought a howitzer to a pillow fight.
Svenja Folmli and Aurelie Csillag piled on the misery later to seal the points, but not before Maria Farrugia nicked one back for the visitors in the 19th minute. A rare Swiss snooze at the back turned a potential cricket score into something a tad more respectable for Malta, ranked a distant 88th in the world. Still, three points in the bag and a perfect start maintained after that 2-0 opener against Northern Ireland.
Captain Wälti's Not Having It – 'We Should've Buried 'Em!'
Spare a thought for skipper Lia Wälti, who looked more vexed than a manager after a VAR howler. 'That's a side you stick six, seven or even eight past,' she fumed post-match, banging on about the Nati's sky-high standards. The stats backed her up – all those efforts, yet a conversion rate that'd make a Sunday league striker blush.
'We nail a lot, but the killer touch is missing,' Wälti added, echoing the dressing room grumbles. Csillag, the 23-year-old sharpshooter who bagged the fourth, chipped in too: 'Plenty to polish if we're World Cup-bound.' Navarro had called for 'loads of goals' pre-game, and while they delivered the win, the gaffer knows his evolving tactics need a sharper edge up top. Rotation was key too – four changes from the Northern Ireland win show he's building depth for the long haul.
It's classic Swiss precision meets occasional butterfingers. They bossed possession, carved chances at will, yet couldn't turn Malta into mincemeat. A wake-up call? You bet – especially with the World Cup in Brazil on the horizon.
Eyes on Turkey: Time to Sharpen Those Blades
Next up, a double-header against Turkey in April, where the Swiss will fancy themselves as bankers again. Lehmann will be itching to add to her tally, and Navarro's squad tinkering suggests he's plotting for promotion from League B2. The foundations are solid, but that ruthless streak? Non-negotiable for a shot at South America.
As reported by the lads at Goal.com, this win keeps the momentum, but the real test is turning dominance into demolition jobs. Fancy the Nati to hit top gear? Or will the finishing woes linger like a hangover? Either way, with stars like Lehmann leading the line, they've got the tools – now it's about wielding them properly. Cheers to that, and here's to more goals than groans next time out.
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