Confidence and good looks failed to win Morena a place in Saturday's Eurovision final.

After facing dismal rankings in the past two consecutive contests, Malta was banking on Morena's ability to woo the voting public with her energy and charm, but the bookmakers have been sadly proven right.

Singing in 16th position, her voice never faltered, and critics described Malta's entry as "the catchiest introduction this year... with careful choreography and an impressive package".

For the past week the 24-year-old Gozitan had been slipping in and out of favour with the fans and media, but for the past two days, she held on strongly among the top 10 favourites. Bookmakers had never predicted Malta would qualify and the odds were always against.

After 15 minutes of televoting the 10 finalists were announced at the Beogradska Arena. The countries that qualified, in the order they were announced, are: Ukraine, Croatia, Albania, Iceland, Georgia, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Turkey, and Portugal.

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