Azerbaijan 2
Huseynov 3, Nazarov 90;
Malta 0

This was a tale of two halves.

Malta were all over the place in the opening half, tactically and technically, conceding a goal inside the first five minutes as Azerbaijan pressed on the accelerator.

Pietro Ghedin, the Malta coach, had been taken aback by the apprehension in the Azeri camp ahead of yesterday’s qualifier but for much of the initial 45 minutes, it was his players who seemed inhibited by fear.

Even the 5-3-2 template introduced by Ghedin before the start of this qualifying campaign with the aim of stiffening the team’s defensive resistance, looked flawed as the Maltese were bereft of power and pace on the flanks while the three central midfielders often found themselves outnumbered.

Not that Azerbaijan did anything out of the ordinary but their early flourish, coupled with Malta’s hesitancy, gave them an edge.

The dynamic of the game changed in the second half as Malta, reinvigorated by Ghedin’s switch to 4-4-2, broke free of their shackles.

Steve Borg, who looked somewhat subdued in the opening half, began to make his presence felt on the right, combining well with captain Roderick Briffa who also benefited from shifting to the right midfield.

All the players stepped up to the plate with Rowen Muscat putting in a great shift in midfield, Paul Fenech also finding his touch and the generous Alfred Effiong, who had threatened to equalise for Malta, hassling the Azeri defenders with his direct running.

There was a period in the second half when Malta rattled their stuttering hosts, creating a couple of scoring chances, but their failure to translate their rising pressure into goals again proved costly as Azerbaijan struck their second goal in stoppage time as a collective sigh of relief engulfed the stadium.

At the end of the day, Malta were left to rue not only their inability to make the most of their second-half supremacy but also their timid first-half display as their early struggles had given the Azeris a headstart.

Effiong earned his first start for Malta on the back on his lively cameo in the Georgia friendly. The pace of the Nigeria-born striker must have swayed Ghedin’s decision to select him as Andrè Schembri’s attacking partner ahead of Jean Paul Farrugia.

There were no other notable surprises in Ghedin’s formation as Briffa and Fenech were restored to the starting XI after minor injuries kept them out of Wednesday’s warm-up in Tbilisi.

Former Croatia stalwart Robert Prosinecki, making his debut as Azerbaijan coach, plumped for a 4-3-3 formation with Vuqar Nadirov as lone striker and Namik Alaskarov and Afran Ismayilov providing width on the wings.

Prosinecki revamped the team from the 1-0 defeat to Norway in November, naming six players from Qarabag in his line-up.

The presence of a host of Qarabag players ought to have served as a reminder of the scale of the task facing Malta at the Tofig Bahramov Stadium as the Azeri champions had swatted Valletta aside in the Champions League.

Azerbaijan tore out of the blocks, seizing the lead after just three minutes. The danger stemmed from the right as Namik Alaskarov raced towards the byline before arrowing a menacing cross that was headed in by Qarabag team-mate Cavid Huseynov.

Malta looked stunned but they created a great chance when Schembri’s perfect through-ball released Effiong who had raced clear of the defenders but the Qormi striker’s curling drive was smothered away by Kamran Agayev, the Azerbaijan goalkeeper.

After that initial shock, Malta began to see more of the ball but the hosts remained in control.

Prosinecki was forced to make his first change after Alaskarov appeared to roll his ankle.

Malta were having problems coping with their opponents’ swift incursions on the wings. Midway into the first half, Afran Ismayilov charged clear on the left before picking out Nadirov who had time and space to turn but the Qarabag forward lifted his shot over the bar.

Hogg then blocked a low shot from Huseynov. Another Azeri raid on the left unlocked the Maltese defence as Huseynov released Nadirov inside the box but the latter’s scrambled effort was hooked away by Ryan Camilleri.

That was the last meaningful contribution from Camilleri as the Valletta defender was unable to continue after picking up a knock. He was replaced by Zach Muscat.

Although Azerbaijan had been expected to pile up the pressure from the start Malta effectively ceded the initiative by dropping too deep, often leaving five at the back.

The hosts won a corner on the brink of half-time. Ismayilov’s set-piece cross drifted dangerously into the box but Gurbanov headed over.

At half-time, Ghedin tried to rectify matters by adjusting to 4-4-2 and bringing on Steve Pisani for Bezzina.

Malta needed to get their ball players, the likes of Briffa, Rowen Muscat and Schembri more into play if they were to make headway in attack.

Eleven minutes into the second half, Maksim Medvedev advanced through the middle but his shot was too central to trouble Hogg.

A free-kick by Andrei Agius came off the Azerbaijan wall. The loose ball landed at the feet of Zach Muscat whose dipping cross from the left soared towards Effiong but the latter skewed his attempt.

Effiong gunned for goal after winning possession outside the box but his effort was high.

A mistake by the Maltese defence almost gifted Azerbaijan a goal as the ball was intercepted by Nadirov but his grounder was turned away by Hogg.

Ghedin’s tactical switch settled Malta as his players looked more eager to press forward.

Schembri had a low effort saved by Agayev after the Omonia striker was freed by the rejuvenated Briffa.

Paul Fenech’s header was then easily saved by Agayev. Malta’s comeback gained momentum.

With seven minutes left, Caruana’s diagonal pass was deflected into the path of Pisani who swivelled but his low show lacked power.

There was another scare for Azeris when Ryan Fenech’s corner, from the right, tricked past a clutch of players as Azerbaijan thought that the ball was going wide only to flash against the near post.

Malta’s hopes of an equaliser ebbed away when, in stoppage time, substitute Nazarov conjured up a curling shot that swirled away from the diving Hogg as the ball sailed into the far corner.

Azerbaijan
K. Agayev, Q. Qarayev, M. Medvedev, B. Guseynov, R. Sadygov, C. Huseynov, V. Nadirov (81 E. Israfiklov), R. Amirguliyev, N. Alasakrov (23 R. Gurbanov), A. Dashdemirov, A. Ismayilov (70 D. Nazarov).

Malta
A. Hogg, J. Caruana, S. Bezzina (46 S. Pisani), S. Borg, A. Agius, R. Briffa, R. Muscat, A. Schembri (82 R. Fenech), P. Fenech, R. Camilleri (36 Z. Muscat), A. Effiong.

Referee: Halis Ozkhaya (Turkey)

Yellow cards: Amirguliyev; D. Nazarov; Caruana.

Malta players’ ratings
Hogg-5.5, Caruana-7, Bezzina-5, Borg-6.5, Agius-7, Briffa-7, Muscat-7.5, Schembri-6, P. Fenech-6, Camilleri-5.5, Effiong-7.

Subs: Z. Muscat-6.5, Pisani-6.

We didn’t deserve to lose – Ghedin

Malta coach Pietro Ghedin was disappointed with the result as he felt that his team didn’t deserve to lose to Azerbaijan in yesterday’s Euro 2016 Group H qualifier.

“In football, there are no mathematics,” Ghedin said during the post-match news conference at Baku’s Tofig Bahramov Stadium.

“Some games are easier to win but there are times when it’s easier to lose. This was a match in which the opposition had three shots at goal and scored two.

“We didn’t deserve to lose. We only have ourselves to blame but we must also give credit to Azerbaijan.”

Robert Prosinecki, the Azerbaijan coach, was delighted to mark his debut with a win, the nation’s first in Group H after four defeats, but the Croatian admitted that the pressure weighed heavily on his players.

“In the first half, we were afraid and suffered psychologically as there was a lot of pressure on the team from the media and the fans,” Prosinecki said.

“But we were the hosting team and that’s why we had to emerge victorious from this match.”

Prosinecki said he was not surprised with Malta’s tenacious performance in the second half.

“We knew beforehand that this was going to be a tough game for us,” Prosinecki said.

“I was present when Malta played in Croatia and also watched the game against Italy. In both games, Malta made it really difficult for their opponents, losing narrowly on both occasions.

“As I said, there was a lot of pressure on my team but Malta played really well in the second half. They created some scoring opportunities but failed to score.”

• Kevin Azzopardi has travelled to Azerbaijan courtesy of Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines connects you from Malta to 108 countries through Istanbul, flying to 266 airports worldwide. Flight frequencies from Malta to Istanbul are being increased to 13 flights weekly by June 22.