Malta rally just falls short

Malta 2
Moldova 3

Malta vs Moldova was tagged as the clash of the minnows in Group C of the Euro 2008 qualifying trek.

A combination of a string of creditable results by the national team, including a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Chisinau last March, and the proximity of the two confronting nations in the standings, had the effect of heightening home expectations of a victory that would have lifted Malta two points above Moldova.

Events on the pitch in the first half appeared to make a mockery of Maltese optimism as Moldova raced into a seemingly impregnable three-goal lead inside the opening 34 minutes after Malta, who had started brightly, crumbled from the moment they fell behind to a contentious 23rd minute penalty.

The urgency to score a goal and redress the imbalance disconcerted the Maltese players who made the cardinal mistake of losing their tactical shape, in the process leaving glaring gaps in their wake as old failures returned to haunt the national team.

If the first half was a nightmare for Malta, the second was a completely different story as Dusan Fitzel's troops tore out of the blocks and into Moldova who switched to cruise control.

A hitherto no-contest suddenly became an engaging duel as Malta, enlivened by Fitzel's substitutions and positional changes and showing more stomach for a fight, hit two goals by the 84th minute. However, their late fightback proved futile as Moldova dug deep to preserve their vulnerable lead despite ending the match with 10 men.

The two sets of players had taken the field wearing t-shirts that had the words 'Unite Against Racism' emblazoned on the front.

The heavy downpours that lashed the Maltese islands yesterday may have deterred some from making their way to Ta' Qali but a sizeable crowd still gathered at the National Stadium for this eagerly-awaited Euro 2008 qualifier.

Fitzel effected only one change from the team that succumbed to a 2-0 loss in Hungary last Saturday.

Midfielder Jamie Pace resumed his duties in front of Malta's four-man defence after suspension kept him out of Saturday's qualifier. Kevin Sammut was the player making away for Pace as Fitzel opted to shift Roderick Briffa to his usual right-midfield station and stuck with Kenneth Scicluna at right-back.

Seven minutes into the game, a clearance from the back fell at the feet of Michael Mifsud deep inside Malta's half. The diminutive striker quickly summoned all his power and pace to roar forward and deep into Moldovan territory but his effort posed no danger to Serghei Pascenco.

At the other end, Justin Haber did well to paw away a tricky shot by Viorel Frunza but from another quick breakaway, Pace demonstrated what Malta had missed in the 2-0 defeat to Hungary with a strong run through the middle which caught Moldova's defence on the wrong foot, prompting Alexandru Gatcan to push the Marsaxlokk midfielder as he was about to shoot.

A free-kick was awarded to Malta, Ivan Woods's came off Moldova's defensive wall but Ukrainian referee Igorj Ishchenko ordered a retake for encroachment on the part of Serghei Stroenco. Pace took responsibility for the second attempt from the set-piece but his swerving piledriver finished over.

Andrè Schembri then tried to curl the ball towards goal from an angled position but his attempt flew wide.

Moldova replied with a free-kick by Vitalie Bordian that drifted just over the bar but, midway through the first half, Igor Dobrovolskiy's team broke the stalemate.

Referee Ishchenko did not endear himself to the Maltese fans as he awarded Moldova what appeared to be a dubious penalty after Luke Dimech looked to make only slight contact with Gatcan in attempting to clear a pass from Bugaoiv. The latter stepped up for the penalty kick and sent the ball low to Haber's right.

Their confidence emboldened by their opener, Moldova were now playing the more cohesive football as the Maltese players were clearly having a hard time to cope with the slippery conditions of the pitch.

Malta's predicament deepened in the space of three disastrous first-half minutes as first, Frunza, possibly in an offside position, flicked Gatcan's cross-shot into the net and, just three minutes later, he struck a powerful drive past the advancing Haber after a lofted pass from midfield looped over the dishevelled home defence.

Ian Azzopardi looked to be in a good position to contest Frunza for possession but the left-back slipped on the wet surface, leaving the way clear for the Moldova's striker to advance and prod past Haber.

Three goals down by the 34th minute left Malta facing a tough task to gain something from this match. Before the referee sounded his whistle to signal the start of the second half, Fitzel brought on Andrew Cohen and Terence Scerri for Scicluna and Schembri respectively.

Fitzel also tried to address Malta's lack of midfield bite by repositioning Woods to the heart of his team's engine room and pushing Mallia to the right. Briffa took up Scicluna's position on the right of defence and Cohen was deployed on the left of midfield.

Early in the second half, Haber punched away an outswinging free-kick by Victor Comlionoc and Woods's low cross-cum-shot, also from a free-kick, was warded off by Moldova's defence.

Not surprisingly, Malta were the more enterprising side in the second half as Moldova were content to sit back and operate on the counter.

Fitzel's substitutions helped to quicken the pace of Malta's game and, 19 minutes from time, the red-shirted players managed to pull a goal back.

Perseverance on Pace's part paid dividends as the midfield maestro burst forward before serving Scerri inside the box. The Malta substitute tried to run past Stroenco but the two went down as the Moldova defender made a tackle. However, Scerri was quickly back on his feet and guided the ball low past Pascenco.

The force was now with Malta who charged forward with renewed conviction.

Seven minutes from time, Cohen was held back by Stroenco in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and Mifsud had the better of Pascenco with a low strike much to the delight of the home crowd.

On 87 minutes, Malta received another boost when Moldova's Victor Golovatenco was expelled after a late tackle on Woods earned him a second yellow card.

On the stroke of time, Mallia hit a low shot but Pascenco scampered to his left to save.

Malta subjected Moldova to a pummelling in the dying stages but the visitors held on by the skin of their teeth.

Aftermatch quotes...

Dusan Fitzel, Malta coach:
"Prior to the match I asked my players to pull up their sleeves and prepare themselves to fight all the way because Moldova are a very difficult team to play against. Our opponents played with three players at the back and it took us a while to adapt to their system.

"I was happy with my team's performance in the second half and I think the national team was very unlucky not to snatch a draw towards the end."

Igor Dobrovolskiy, Moldova coach:
"Despite leading 3-0 at half-time I insisted with my players that they should concentrate and be more aggressive in the second half. Near the end, it became clear that our efforts exerted against Turkey last Saturday took their toll.

"Given the high tempo of the Maltese team in the final minutes of the match, I would have still been happy with a draw."

Malta: J. Haber, I. Azzopardi ('90 U. Nwoko) , B. Said, L. Dimech, R. Briffa, M. Mifsud, I. Woods, G. Mallia, A. Schembri ('46 T. Scerri), K. Scicluna ('46 A. Cohen), J. Pace.

Moldova: S. Pascenco, V. Golovatenco, S. Stroenco, S. Lascencov, A. Corneencov, V. Bordian, A. Gatcan ('78 Denis Zmeu), N. Josan, V. Comlionoc ('70 S. Namasco), V. Frunza ('84 A. Doros), I. Bugaiov.

Referee: Igorj Ishchenko (Ukraine).

Scorers: Bugaoiv 23 pen.; Frunza 31, 34; Scerri 71; Mifsud 84 pen.

Yellow cards: Gatcan; Stroenco; Dimech; Scicluna; Golovatenco; Pascenco; Woods; Corneenvoc.

Red card: Golovatenco 87.

Malta players' ratings

Haber-5.5, Azzopardi-5.5, Said-5.5, Dimech-5.5, Briffa-5.5, Mifsud-6, Woods-6.5, Mallia-7, Schembri-5, Scicluna-4, Pace-6.5.
Subs: Cohen-6.5; Scerri-7; Nwoko.