Czech Republic 3
Gebre Selassie 34, Pekhart 52; Rezek 67
Malta 1
Briffa 38
When Roderick Briffa’s great finish soared over Czech keeper Petr Cech and nestled into the top corner of the net seven minutes from half-time, Malta dared to dream.
Pitched in a tough clash with the goal-hungry Czechs, Malta had not only run and harried, they had also mustered some openings with the influential Briffa oozing class and confidence in midfield.
The Czechs, pursuing their first win after a goalless draw in Denmark in their opening qualifier, were initially taken aback by Malta’s brisk approach as the first half ended one-all but the story in the second half was different.
The visitors had given as much as they got in the opening 45 minutes but their exertions appeared to take their toll after the break as the Czechs, relying on a core of players who ply their trade in some of Europe’s top leagues, raised the ante and duly seized control with Jaroslav Plasil driving his team on from midfield.
When the Czechs translated their superiority into a second goal, seven minutes into the second half, the game was as good as over as it soon became clear that Pietro Ghedin’s men were unable to maintain their first-half momentum.
But, as is often the case in international games, Malta were accomplices in their own downfall as all three of the home side’s goals stemmed from crosses from the left side which ought to have been cut out.
This is what Ghedin was alluding to when he called on his team “to eradicate the small mistakes” but the gulf between the domestic game and international football makes it difficult, almost impossible, for our boys to sustain such pacey rhythms for the entire 90 minutes.
Pity also that, in added time, Malta spurned an ideal chance to make the score look more res-pectable when Michael Mifsud’s penalty was saved by Cech.
As was to be expected, Shaun Bajada was handed the onus of replacing the injured Daniel Bogdanovic in the only change from the team that started last month’s 2-0 defeat to Italy.
Bajada started on the right and Edward Herrera on the left while Gareth Sciberras and Roderick Briffa formed the central midfield axis in a 4-2-3-1 combination.
Mifsud was our attacking fulcrum with André Schembri behind.
At the back, Andrei Agius and Luke Dimech filled the two centre-half roles with Alex Muscat, deployed at left-back in the opening qualifiers against Armenia and Italy, reverting to the right and Steve Borg manning the other wing.
‘Local boy’ Cech, the experienced Chelsea no.1, skippered a team set out in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Nuremberg’s Tomas Pekhart taking up the central striker role.
Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg ef-fected his first intervention after five minutes when blocking Theodor Gebre Selassie’s header from a corner.
Briffa then produced some deft footwork as, having dispossessed Petr Jiracek just outside the box, he flicked the ball across the Czech winger before racing clear.
The hosts dominated the early exchanges with Gebre Selassie conspicuous with his marauding runs on the right. Dimech saved Malta from potentially dangerous situations with two headed clearances as the Czechs pressed for an early breakthrough.
Malta created a modicum of a chance on 15 minutes when Briffa’s pass from midfield trickled through a posse of players and into the path of Mifsud who strode forward before walloping a rising shot that sailed wide.
Having weathered the initial pressure, the red-shirted Malta players, undeterred by the drizzling rain, began to see more of the ball.
A promising opening beckoned when Mifsud forced his way towards the edge of the box through the middle but his attempted pass to Muscat was intercepted.
Bilek’s men were dangerous when Jan Rezek raced clear of Muscat but his cross was overhit.
Hogg ran a great risk when, having gathered a backpass, he opted to take a touch before clearing with the ball coming off the encroaching Pekhart and over the bar.
A flowing move, initiated by Briffa and which ended with Schembri being flagged offside, underlined Malta’s growing confidence.
On the half-hour, Herrera’s effort from a wide position flashed wide of the far post.
Hogg failed to hold Plasil’s drive but made amends by repelling Jiracek’s point-blank effort.
But, Malta’s reprieve was temporary as, from the ensuing action, the Czechs put their noses in front.
David Limbersky jinked his way past Bajada and Muscat before arrowing a perfect cross into the goalmouth where Gebre Selassie nipped ahead of Herrera and headed home.
The Czechs’ relief was palpable as Gebre Selassie’s opener had ended a goalless streak that stretched four games.
Their joy was shortlived though as Malta broke their own scoring duck in this qualifying campaign with a superb goal seven minutes from half-time.
Briffa’s initial pass was partially blocked but he swooped on the rebound, skipped past Kadlec and Rajtoral before lifting the ball over Cech and into the far corner of the net, much to the delight of the Valletta midfielder, who was scoring his first goal for the national team, and the lonely Malta fan at the Doosan Arena who had good reason to wave the red and white flag with pride.
Malta’s nerveless performance in that opening half augured well for the rest of the match but it will also have infuriated the Czechs who inevitably upped their tempo in the second half.
In fact, it only took them seven minutes to restore their lead as Jiracek’s centre was met by Pekhart who headed in at the far post.
Limbersky was high with a thunderbolt from the distance as the Czechs remained in control without troubling the compact Malta rearguard beyond routine work.
Jiracek drifted infield from the left but his grounder was stopped by Hogg.
Malta were having problems coping with the Czechs’ raids on the left, especially with the constant movement of Jiracek and Plasil.
The two combined to create the third goal midway into the second half when Jiracek guided a pass to Plasil who got behind our defence before cutting the ball back to Rezek who prodded home.
Hogg then denied Pekhart a second goal when saving his close-range header from Plasil’s cross.
With 18 minutes remaining, Jiracek, who plays for Hamburg in Germany, received a rapturous applause as he made way for Vladimir Darida.
Two goals to the good and with Malta betraying signs of tiredness, the Czechs stayed in ascendancy.
Agius did well to dispossess Gebre Selassie with a perfectly-timed tackle after the latter had been sent through by Petrzela.
In the closing stages, Paul Fenech came on for Schembri and young Ayrton Azzopardi made his senior debut when replacing Bajada.
Deep into stoppage time, Malta had a golden chance to pull one back when they were awarded a penalty after Petrzela was adjudged to have impeded Borg as the latter tried to get on the end of Mifsud’s cross.
Mifsud marched towards the spot but his shot was stopped by Cech.
Ghedin bemoans team’s decline
PIETRO GHEDIN was pleased with his team’s spirited showing against the Czech Republic but bemoaned his players’ second-half decline.
“We have lost 3-1 but our first half was very good,” Ghedin said at the post-match news conference.
“The rhythm was high and we coped well but the players suffered badly because of that after the break. My team gave the Czechs a tough challenge but it was not enough.”
Czech Republic coach MICHAL BILEK said: “Our first-half performance was indeed disappointing and I was very angry about that.
“But we improved after the interval and Tomas Pekhart’s goal settled our nerves.
“I’m happy with the win.”
Czech Republic: P. Cech, T. Gebre Selassie, M. Kadlec, T. Sivok, D. Limbersky, J. Rezek, F. Rajtoral (61 M. Petrzela), J. Plasil, T. Hubschmann, P. Jiracek (72 V. Darida), T. Pekhart (82 D. Lafata).
Malta: A. Hogg, A. Muscat, G. Sciberras, A. Agius, L. Dimech, E. Herrera, R. Briffa, M. Mifsud, A. Schembri (87 P. Fenech), S. Borg, S. Bajada (89 A. Azzopardi).
Referee Anar Salmanov (Azerbaijan FA).
Missed penalty Mifsud (M) 90+.
Attendance 10,358.
Malta Players’ Ratings
Hogg-6.5, Muscat-5.5, Sciberras-6.5, Agius-6.5, Dimech-7, Herrera-6, Briffa-8.5, Mifsud-6, Schembri-5.5, Borg-6.5, Bajada-6.