Old weaknesses return to haunt Malta in 5-0 rout

Macedonia 5
Malta 0

Sigfried Held poured cold water on suggestions that Malta have come a long way since he assumed control of the team. Such optimistic talk may have been triggered by a sequence of six positive results on the run, a rare feat for our team, but the national coach remained unmoved, insisting that the players have to show on the field of play whether they have improved or not.

The answers Held was looking for ahead of Malta's first EURO 2004 qualifier away to Slovenia - who last night beat Italy 1-0 - were not forthcoming yesterday evening as Malta crashed to a heavy defeat to Macedonia in Skopje's City Stadium.

Indeed, on this evidence, talk of progress by the Malta team is way off the mark as yet as the shambolic performance turned in by our players evoked memories of the dark late 90s when our team conceded a series of humiliating defeats, even against minnows Luxembourg and Faroe Islands.

Malta were simply played off the park by the superior home side, brimming with foreign-based players. Our performance was poor in all aspects, jittery defending, no craft and graft in midfield and no punch up front. The entire team must shoulder the blame for such an uninspiring outing which also marked skipper David Carabott's return to competitive football from injury.

Held, who yesterday endured his first comprehensive defeat in his Maltese coaching reign, will have a tough job to lift the players' spirits and rectify the old frailties, which have undermined Maltese football for decades, before the Slovenia match.

Playing with three strikers, the home side started the game in adventurous mode, mainly thanks to the menacing runs down the right flank of Robert Popov, widely acclaimed as Macedonia's brightest prospect.

Chucks Nwoko and Michael Mifsud saw little of the ball in the opening 15 minutes as it was the Macedonia players, donning white shirts, who set the pace and tempo of the game.

Nwoko tried to pose some danger to Petar Milosevski, the Macedonia goalkeeper, with a shot on the turn which sailed wide.

Jeffrey Chetcuti, yesterday positioned as sweeper, rescued Malta from a potentially harmful situation when clearing the ball for a corner as Spezia's Ace Stojkov was closing on him inside the small box.

On 29 minutes, Macedonia came close to breaking the stalemate when CSKA Sofia's Artim Sakiri crossed for Djorde Hristov who headed goalwards from point blank only to see his effort cleared away by Daniel Theuma.

Igor Nikolovski, the Macedonia skipper who plies his trade in Belgium with Lierse, drove a free-kick high in the 35th minute but in their next move the hosts took the lead.

Malta's defence was caught wrong-footed as Sakiri squared to the unmarked Stojkov who dispatched the ball low past Muscat.

The force was now with Nikola Ilievski's men who within three minutes of their opener, doubled their lead.

The impish Popov ran past the Malta defence to latch on to a pass from midfield before dragging the ball towards the centre where Sakiri hit home first-time. This goal came after 40 minutes during which Malta had looked anything but an organised side, unable to string a series of successive passes to trouble the Macedonian rearguard.

At half-time, Held withdrew Giglio and Turner in favour of William Camenzuli and Carlo Mamo respectively. These changes seemed to have little impact on the pattern of the game though as Macedonia remained in absolute command of the proceedings.

Muscat had to charge out of his goal to block the incoming Goran Pandev, also of Spezia. Minutes later Mifsud's alertness carved an opening for Malta as the Kaiserslautern striker sprinted towards goal only to see his low attempt easily parried by the Macedonia goalkeeper.

However, another glaring defensive mistake on our part enabled the opponents to wrap up the game in the 54th minute.

Pandev looked to have lost control of the ball with Mamo well positioned to block but the Sliema player hesitated, allowing Hristov to nip in and lob the ball over Muscat and into the net.

Malta were shell-shocked, unable to stem the wave of Macedonia's attacks which was also abetted by some poor defending from Held's men.

It came as no surprise when Macedonia added a fourth goal and what a beauty it was.

Shumulikovski was allowed to advance unchecked down the right before passing to Hristov. Back to goal, the latter exquisitely laid the ball for the steaming Sakiri who unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top left corner of the net.

Such was Malta's ineffectiveness throughout the game that a high strike by Mifsud, by far the most enterprising player in the team, drew an ironic applause from the 4,000-odd home crowd.

With victory secured the Macedonia coach effected a series of substitutions. Held, on his part, opted to introduce Daniel Bogdanovic for Theuma.

Substitute Toleski came close to a fifth goal but his drive ended just wide off the far post.

Six minutes from time a thunderbolt free-kick from Gilbert Agius went over the bar. Then, the now lively Valletta midfielder turned provider, freeing Mifsud with a cunning pass but again the Malta striker was denied by the goalkeeper.

Malta was playing better at these late stages of the match as both teams became stretched. Michael Mifsud was unlucky to see his drive hitting the bar after some fine work from Adrian Mifsud, who had earlier replaced Nwoko. At the other end, Muscat pulled off a fine save from a menacing Sakiri shot.

The inevitable fifth goal was only delayed, however. A minute from time, Pandev waltzed his way inside the box before hitting past Muscat. The rout was completed.

Ilievski delighted

Macedonia coach Nikola Ilievski was delighted with his team's performance in the warm-up for their opening EURO 2004 qualifier away to Liechtenstein on October 8.

"I am delighted with the displays of the players although we had some problems in certain phases of the game," Ilievski told reporters after his third match in charge.

Ilievski said he would field almost the same team in the Group Seven qualifiers in which Macedonia meet England, Turkey, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.

Macedonia: P. Milosevski (J. Nikolovski), R. Petrov (A. Panov), G. Sedloski (A. Vasovski), I. Nikolovski, I Mitreski, R. Popov (P. Stojanov), D. Hristov (G. Toleski), A. Sakiri, A. Stojkov (G. Pandev), A. Mitrevski, V. Shumulikovski (B. Grncarov).

Malta: M. Muscat, D. Theuma (D. Bogdanovic), J. Chetcuti, D. Carabott, D. Debono, L. Dimech, G. Agius, S. Giglio (W. Camenzuli), M. Mifsud, N. Turner (C. Mamo), C. Nwoko (A. Mifsud).

Referee: Alojzie Supraha (Croatia).

Scorers: Stojkov 37th, Sakiri 40th, 60th, Hristov 54th, Pandev 89th.

Yellow cards: Chetcuti, Mitrevski, Petrov.