Sweet taste of victory should strengthen Malta's resolve

It was all smiles at the reception lounge of the Malta FA Technical Centre in Ta' Qali on Wednesday night.

No sooner had Dusan Fitzel fielded the last question in the post-match news conference that a handful of MFA officials and local journalists marched up to the Czech coach to offer their congratulations after Malta's historic 2-1 victory over Hungary in a Euro 2008 Group C qualifier at the National Stadium.

A couple of floors below the makeshift conference hall, the atmosphere was even more boisterous as the home players screamed with joy after weaving their names into the tapestry of local football as the catalysts of Malta's fourth competitive victory ever.

Young Marsaxlokk striker Andrè Schembri struck the two goals that ended Malta's long victory drought and further shattered Hungary's flailing hopes of advancing to the finals of the Euro 2008 Championships finals.

Wednesday's victory was Malta's first in a competitive match at Ta' Qali and the first on home soil since our team upstaged Greece 2-0 in a European qualifier at the Gzira Stadium in 1975.

The sight of Maltese players raising their hands in jubilation as the referee blew the final whistle is bound to be crystallised in the minds of the local fans, young and old, who witnessed this landmark victory.

It was truly a night to savour and remember but now the biggest challenge awaiting all the stakeholders of Maltese football, from the players, national coaches and clubs to the media personnel and fans, is to avoid getting carried away by the euphoria stirred by this great result.

Now that the players have experienced the sweet taste of success, it's imperative that they maintain their focus and commitment in pursuit of further improvement, moreso in view of the fact that Malta will not get to play a competitive match before March 24 of next year.

Keeping a sense of perspective is crucial. Let's not commit the grave mistake of assuming that one victory has turned our national team into world beaters. Far from it. At the same time, Malta's bright performance on Wednesday has shown that not all is doom and gloom about the national team.

During all my years of reporting on the national team, I have always sought to stay clear of the cynicism swirling around Maltese football. Although positive results were hard to come by over the last decade, I steadfastly refused to jump on the bandwagon of critics who seized every opportunity to ridicule everything related to Maltese football.

How many times have I heard people telling me that I was wasting my time following the national team because our players are too soft, spoilt and, worse still, not willing to improve?

Malta's committed display on Wednesday portrays a different picture but there's no guarantee that our team will always be rewarded with a good result for their toils.

Fitzel hit the nail on the head when he said that Wednesday was "one of those nights when everything went right for us".

In the past, there were countless occasions when Malta, despite a bold showing, finished on the wrong end of the scoreline and I'm pretty sure that in the future, there will be many instances when our national team will have no option but to bow their heads in the face of superior opposition.

So, what's next for the national team? The onus is on the coach and the players to keep up the hard work and strive to keep this upward trend but the clubs, the heart and soul of Maltese football, must also play their role.

Unlike some of his immediate predecessors, Fitzel looks to have forged a fruitful relationship with the club coaches. Given the peculiarity of our national team's training scheme, good co-operation between the national coach and his counterparts at club level gains extra importance.

The omens are encouraging and not just on the basis of Malta's lively showing on Wednesday. Amid all the enthusiasm for Malta's victory, Fitzel's honest analysis in the post-match news conference provided the answers I was searching for.

"It's a pity we didn't score more goals," Fitzel observed. "Michael Mifsud had an excellent game but he could have hit two or three goals. I was happy that Andrè Schembri scored a brace. He represents the future of Maltese football as does Terrence Scerri.

"I was very pleased with the attitude of all the players. They performed with great spirit. We committed some mistakes but these will be discussed internally."

While Schembri hogged the limelight for getting the goals, Mifsud, now in the final months of his contract with Norwegian outfit Lillestrom, was singled out for special praise after a terrific attacking performance.

Fitzel said Mifsud has benefited from his roaming role behind Schembri. "Mifsud played in a different role in these last three games. When I made the decision to play Mifsud behind Schembri, I explained that such role would give him more freedom to show his capabilities."

More evidence of Fitzel's intentions to achieve long-term improvement for the national team came in the next few sentences.

"In football, there's always room for improvement," Fitzel added. "The players have shown that they want to improve and that's what we will try to do. I'm glad with their commitment."

At present, around 33 players have Fitzel's blessing to train under his guidance at the Ta' Qali training grounds but his squad selection for an international match is limited to 18 players.

"Telling players that they would not be part of the 18-man squad is the most difficult part of a coach's job," Fitzel said. "But I have to do it as only 18 players can be in the squad for a match. Most of the players in my group are still young and that's very positive for Maltese football.

"New players have been invited to join the squad on the back of their performances in domestic matches. However, players need a minimum of three months' training with the national squad to be prepared for the international level."

Encouraged to reveal the first words he said to the players on entering the dressing room on Wednesday, Fitzel said: "To be honest, I didn't have time to say anything.

"The players were singing loud inside the dressing room. In such moments, I prefer to step aside and allow the players to enjoy themselves. They deserve all the credit for this victory."

Win attracts international interest

Malta's 2-1 defeat of Hungary has caught the attention of the international media.

While the match report of Malta's win featured among the main items on UEFA's website, www.uefa.com, Reuters soccer editor Mike Collett made reference to the result of the match at Ta' Qali in his wrap-up of Wednesday's European football action.

In his piece, titled 'Big guns come out blazing but England fire blanks', Collett wrote: "The major upset of the night came in Ta' Qali where Malta beat once-mighty Hungary.

"Although Hungary have disintegrated as a soccer nation since the heady days of the 1950s when they boasted the finest team in the world, they have reached a new low with this defeat. It was Malta's first win in a European qualifier for 24 years."

Reuters yesterday ran a follow-up on Malta's match while BBC Radio's World Service got in touch with The Times Sportsdesk for comments on Wednesday's headline-grabbing result.

Malta's other competitive wins...

February 23, 1975 - The Stadium, Gzira (Euro qualifier)
Malta vs Greece 2-0
Malta: R. Gatt, G. Ciantar, E. Vella, E. Darmanin, J. Holland, W. Vassallo, V. Magro, D. Azzopardi (C. Seychell), R. Xuereb, R. Aquilina, T. Camilleri,
Scorers: R. Aquilina, V. Magro.

June 5, 1982 - Messina (Euro qualifier)
Malta vs Iceland 2-1
Malta: J. Bonello, C. Consiglio, E. Farrugia, N. Buttigieg, J. Holland. Em. Farrugia (M. Farrugia), C. Busuttil, E. Fabri, E. Spiteri Gonzi, J. Xuereb (M. Schembri), G. Xuereb.
Scorers: E. Spiteri Gonzi, E. Fabri.

May 12, 1993 - Tallinn (World Cup qualifier)
Estonia vs Malta 0-1
Malta: D. Cluett, J. Brincat, R. Buhagiar, J. Buttigieg, S. Vella, M. Gregory (J. Delia), J. Camilleri, K. Laferla, N. Saliba, R. Vella, D. Carabott (S. Sultana).
Scorer: K. Laferla.