1976-77 - fine season for Calleja's national team

During the 1976-77 football season, Malta played six international matches under the leadership of national coach Johnnie Calleja.

Four of these matches were in connection with the 1978 World Cup qualification. Early in the season, the team travelled to Izmir to play against Turkey at the Olympic Stadium.

Away matches against Turkey are never easy for any team. It was, therefore, an awesome experience for the Maltese as 80,000 frantic fans shouted for their blood!

Spurred on by the partisan crowd, the Turks won 4-0 but in the circumstances the Maltese deserved much better.

In November 1976, the MFA accepted a request from the Tunisian FA to play a friendly at the stadium. In those days, Maltese football was still considered superior to that of the Africans.

We soon found out that the Tunisians had made great progress.

Vincent 'Maxi' Magro opened the score for Malta but as the minutes ticked away the Tunisians took the game in hand.

Forcing the Maltese back in their own area, the visitors opened an assault on our fort in an attempt to score the equaliser.

Tunisia hit the post three times before justice was done when, a few seconds from the end, Kanel equalized. There was some controversy over this goal because Kanel seemed to be in an offside position.

In December, Malta played its second World Cup Group Two match against Austria.

As expected, Malta adopted a prudent approach, concentrating on keeping the score-sheet blank and nearly succeeded. The Maltese defended solidly and it took Austria more than an hour to final break down their opponents' stubborn resistance. It was the great Hans Krankl who scored the only goal of the match.

In March, Malta faced Tunisia in a return of the match played earlier in the season. The game was held at the Olympic Stadium, the venue of the 1967 Mediterranean Games.

The Tunisians were favourites to win but the Maltese rose to the occasion to break the home team's three-year-old unbeaten record.

Raymond Xuereb scored the only goal of the match to give Malta a prestigious away victory.

On April 2, 1977, Malta met East Germany at the Stadium. The Germans were seeking to win both points. The Maltese, on the other hand, were determined on keeping the score as low as possible.

In the event, as things worked out both teams returned home smiling.

The Germans huffed and puffed to break down the Maltese resistance and at the end it was only a goal by Streich midway through the second half which gave them a precious victory.

All things considered, 1976-77 was a good season for the national team. Some satisfactory results were obtained and, on the whole, the team played some good football. The only disappointment came in April when Malta were beaten 6-0 by Austria in Salzburg.

The Austrians needed a big victory to improve their goal difference but in truth the final score was a bit too flattering.

This match was a personal triumph for centre-forward Krankl who single-handedly destroyed Malta's defensive wall, scoring all six goals in the process.