Defeat leaves sour taste but Malta's young guns offer hope

Hungary 3 Malta 0. The overwhelming temptation is to dismiss this match as the latest in an endless sequence of upsets for the national team.

Certainly, if you were to base judgment on statistics alone, you will end up staring at a very bleak picture as Malta have now gone seven competitive matches without scoring a goal and conceded 17 in the process.

Dusan Fitzel's team are marooned to the bottom of Group One with only one point whereas the improving Magyars are joint first with 13 points from six matches.

Wednesday evening at a rocking Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Malta fell 1-0 behind with barely seven minutes gone, Tamas Hajnal finding the net from a free-kick.

Hungary had to wait until the 80th minute to wrap up the match, Zoltan Gera, a half-time substitute, heading past Justin Haber at the far post. Seconds before the final whistle, defender Roland Juhasz added gloss to Hungary's win when heading in goal no.3.

As the home players milked the adulation of the jubilant crowd at the final whistle, the distraught Maltese went to salute the 100-odd South End Core fans who had supported the team throughout Wednesday's match.

Yes, despite the frustration caused by this defeat, the Maltese players deserved some recognition for their efforts.

Gleaning positives from a 3-0 upset is not easy but the general consensus was that Malta's performance, especially in the second half, was one of the best in recent years, home and away.

Our players tried hard and in so doing, they succeeded in putting Hungary under pressure for the best part of the second half.

Here was the sort of flowing football that, for years, seemed beyond our players' capabilities.

Another encouraging aspect on Wednesday was the contribution of the younger ones in the team.

Malta's back four was composed of four players aged under 25, namely the outstanding Andrei Agius, Jonathan Caruana, who showed that his best position is centre-half, and flank defenders Alex Muscat and Shawn Bajada.

Andrè Schembri, who operated as a lone striker before his participation was cut short by injury, has been a regular in the national team for several years now but he's still only 23.

Terrence Scerri, Schembri's replacement, put in an excellent shift up front, using his towering presence and physical strength to harass the Hungarian defenders. Scerri, the current leading scorer in the Premier League, is only 25.

The fast progress of these players should fill the Malta FA with optimism.

Fitzel is not averse to giving his players a public dressing down when their showings fall short of expectations but on Wednesday night, the demanding Czech praised his team.

"I'm pleased with the performance, especially that of the younger players," Fitzel said.

"This was a great experience for the young ones. They played a competitive match in front of a hostile crowd. I believe they are a good investment for the future."

Fitzel pointed at Hungary's opener as the defining moment.

"The first goal was crucial," Fitzel said.

"Hungary then did what they needed to do to win the match. The second goal came late in the game and it sealed their victory.

"But, Hungary proved their quality and deserve to be top of the group... their chances of qualifying for the World Cup are very much alive. They have an excellent coach who has managed to blend the Dutch mentality with the characteristics of Hungarian football."

Hungary's final two goals confirmed Fitzel's concerns about Malta's difficulties to deal with high balls.

Defending set-plays

"We need to work on our defending in set-plays," Fitzel said.

"But this is not just a question of ability. Maybe, Malta can produce taller players in future because the lack of height puts us at a disadvantage.

"However, I'm happy with our performance, especially in the second half. The team played good football and I encouraged them to do that because I don't want them to focus only on stopping the opponents.

"I believe that the young players in our team can maintain their improvement but we need to give them the opportunity to raise their standards."

Hungary coach Erwin Koeman was understandably delighted with his team's win over Malta.

"I hope this victory helps to alienate the Hungarian people from their daily problems," Koeman said.

"Today, we wanted to put on a good show for the fans but it was not easy to do that against Malta.

"I was more concerned about this match than I was before the Albania qualifier last Saturday. We conceded a lot of space in the second half but managed to regain control in midfield in the final stages of the match.

"Malta were strong in the second half and created some good chances but we also had other opportunities to increase our lead.

"Gera's second goal eased the pressure on our team."