Malta coach Pietro Ghedin tells Kevin Azzopardi that the players deserve credit for their spirited showing in the 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in Sunday’s Euro 2016 Group H qualifier at the Vassil Levski Stadium

How many times have we heard the doom-mongers say that the Malta players are only interested in swapping shirts with their opponents?

Another common accusation levelled against our team is that they don’t put in a shift.

Such scepticism is rooted in Malta’s perpetual travails to make an impact on international football but those who witnessed the team’s stirring showing in the 1-1 draw against Bulgaria left the Vassil Levski Stadium bursting with pride at the remarkable commitment and never-say-die attitude displayed by our players.

Andrè Schembri, one of Malta’s most influential performers on Sunday night, gave me his shirt to pass on to a common friend. Four hours after the end of the game, the shirt was still soaked in sweat!

Far too often, Malta have nothing to show for their brave efforts but the narrative was different last weekend as they grasped an unlikely point in their away clash with a Bulgaria team who, some 20 months earlier, had literally blown our national team apart in a 6-0 drubbing.

Positive results for Malta in competitive games, especially away from home, are such a rarity that Sunday’s draw was greeted with unbridled joy bordering on euphoria.

It was a hard-earned point with the Maltese team coming through a difficult start and an early goal from Andrei Galabinov to get back on level terms thanks to Clayton Failla’s perfectly-struck penalty four minutes into the second half.

The penalty was awarded after a well-crafted move involving Roderick Briffa, Schembri and Jean Paul Farrugia, who proved more than an able replacement for the suspended Michael Mifsud on his first start for the senior side, had unpicked the Bulgarian defence.

Exuding defiance all over the pitch, Malta maintained their composure in the face of Bulgaria’s rising pressure with goalkeeper Andrew Hogg typifying the team’s resoluteness with a crucial last-ditch save.

Pietro Ghedin, the Malta coach, was effusive in his praise for his team’s display.

“We were made to suffer, especially in the opening minutes, but overall we played very well,” Ghedin told Times of Malta.

“Not for the first time, we gifted a goal to the opposition but as the match progressed, we upped our performance.

“We tried to go forward and created some good moves. We produced our best football here and I believe that those who watched the game will have remained enthusiastic about our display.”

Still haunted by memories of the 6-0 thrashing to Bulgaria in a 2014 World Cup qualifier, the Maltese players must have feared the worst when Bulgaria opened the scoring after just six minutes.

“The opening minutes were very difficult for us but the players did well to react,” Ghedin said.

“Bulgaria were determined to win this game. Let’s not forget that, last year, Bulgaria beat us 6-0 here and, psychologically, we were still affected by that result.

“But credit to the players for their determined reaction. The first 20 minutes of the second half were really good for us, we could have gone 2-1 up.

“I was very pleased with Jean Paul Farrugia who turned in very positive performance on his first start at this level.

“The whole team did well. I’m proud of them.”

Malta’s one-all draw against Bulgaria crowned an excellent week for Europe’s footballing minnows after Faroe Islands had stunned Greece, San Marino drew at home to Estonia and Liechtenstein won away to Moldova.

The exploits of Faroe Islands, San Marino and Liechtenstein had fanned criticism of Malta’s progress as some had suggested that it’s high time our national team stop taking a modicum of comfort and satisfaction from narrow, honourable defeats.

Sunday’s draw surely helped to lift the mood in and around the national squad with Ghedin observing that this result will allow the squad to work with more tranquility.

“This is a point that gives us some serenity,”Ghedin said.

“The team ought to take confidence from this performance here but we should keep our feet on the ground. I hope this result further strengthens our motivation to keep moving forward.”

Having been taken aback by the negative reaction to his comment that “defeat felt like victory” after 10-man Malta lost 1-0 to Italy last month, Ghedin made a tongue-in-cheek remark about the value of the point gained on Sunday.

“Criticism is part of life,” Ghedin said. “Last month, we lost to Italy and there was some controversy as I was criticised for saying that, in the circumstances, defeat felt like victory for us.

“Now that we have drawn against Bulgaria, are we supposed to say that this was a defeat for Malta?”

Another heartening aspect of Malta’s performance is that three members of the starting XI have only recently graduated from the U-21 squad.

Midfielder Rowen Muscat, currently playing for Hungarian club Dunaujvaros, is only 23, Birkirkara defender Zach Muscat, who played at right-back on Sunday, turned 21 in August and striker Farrugia, who is on a season-long loan with Slovakian side Spartak Trnava, is 22.

Terence Vella, the Birkirkara forward who is playing on loan with Naxxar Lions, came on for Farrugia in the dying stages while on the bench, Ghedin had five other protègès of Ray Farrugia, namely Hibs midfielder Bjorn Kristensen, Floriana duo Clyde Borg and Brooke Farrugia, Sliema Wanderers midfielder Mark Scerri and Tarxien Rainbows defender Owen Bugeja.

Ghedin has been impressed with the maturity of the young prospects.

“We have a group of young players, those who were with the U-21s, who are coming through very well,” the Italian coach said.

“Their impact has been very positive and they are very united. They know each other well. This has created a good feeling as there is a mix of established players and promising youngsters in our squad.”

Thanks to the point gained in Sofia, Malta have now moved off the bottom of the Group H standings as Azerbaijan, who went down 1-0 at home to Norway on Sunday, are still without a point after four games.

“It’s nice to get a point that lifted us off the bottom of the table but this group is so tough,” he said.

“In the World Cup qualifiers, we had Italy, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Denmark and Armenia and in this group, we again have Italy and Bulgaria plus Croatia, Norway and Azerbaijan.

“On paper, Azerbaijan are the least-quoted team after us but they are ranked 126th by FIFA (Malta were ranked 159th in the latest list).”

The challenge facing Malta now is to build on their showing in Sofia and prove that the result was not a one-off, a flash in the pan as has so often been the case in the past.

“We will continue working like we have done in the past two years,” Ghedin, who in his second spell as Malta coach after succeeding John Buttigieg in 2012, said.

“This result shows that we are heading in the right direction but there is no room for complacency... we need to push on. This is what I want and what I intend to do in the coming months.

“And this performance has given me assurances that the team is growing as we were alive, we made our presence felt throughout the game.”

Ghedin also paid tribute to his backroom staff, saying that all of them, from the assistant to the kit manager, contributed to this result.

“I hope our performance has transmitted a positive message to the fans,” Ghedin said.

“Those who came to support us here really helped the team and I want to thank them for that.”

Ghedin’s future

Sunday’s qualifier was Malta’s last for 2014 as their next Group H game is away to Azerbaijan on March 28.

The Malta FA are mulling the possibility of arranging a friendly match against one of Azerbaijan’s neighbouring countries before the March qualifier.

“Let’s live this moment of happiness and look ahead with renewed optimism,” Ghedin said.

Faced with a question about his future beyond the end of his contract, which runs out at the end of next year, Ghedin replied: “I’m just concentrating on doing my duty and then we will see.

“When the time comes, the MFA and I will analyse the situation and decide accordingly.”