July 23, 2015 will go down in the record books as the biggest day in the history of Birkirkara FC.

Inspired by the artistry of Fabrizio Miccoli, the solidity of Mauricio Mazzetti Latini in defence, the running of Rowen Muscat and, above all, the determination inside each member of the squad, Birkirkara made it a night to remember after beating English side West Ham United 1-0 only to bow out of the Europa League on penalties.

Birkirkara’s two matches against the Londoners fired the imagination of the Maltese sporting public with 15,000 fans creating a boisterous atmosphere during Thursday’s dramatic encounter at the National Stadium.

Their home display against West Ham brought back memories of classic performances of yesteryear such as Hibernians’ games against Manchester United and Real Madrid, Sliema vs Partizan Belgrade and Floriana vs Porto.

“I want this atmosphere to become the norm in Maltese football, not just a one-off experience,” Giovanni Tedesco, the Birkirkara coach, said in the post-match news conference.

“Today, I received further proof that I am coaching a great side. I’m so proud of Birkirkara and Malta in general and I feel part of this big family,” an enthusiastic Tedesco added.

“We changed our approach from the first leg at Upton Park. I think we put them (West Ham) on the back foot and surprised them.

“We went in search of a goal from the start and managed to nullify their first-round lead in the opening half.

“Whether we deserved to win the match or not, I’ll leave that judgment in your hands but I’m very delighted with what we have achieved.”

Italian striker Miccoli reflected on “a great showing for 120 minutes but a sickening end-result”.

“Birkirkara played a great match,” he said.

“We believed that we could make it. We gave it our best shot and left the pitch with our heads held high. This is a great bunch of players.”

Birkirkara skipper Paul Fenech added: “We had the lion’s share of possession but the disappointment of losing out on penalties is hard to take.

“During the first half, we took the game to West Ham and pressed them in their own half.

“After the break, we forced a number of corners and we should have taken advantage of those situations. In the end, this performance has intensified our belief that this season Birkirkara will be a force to reckon with.”

Bilic relieved

Slaven Bilic, the West Ham manager, was relieved that his team had scraped through to the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

“The most important aspect of the match is that we are through to the next round,” the Croat said.

“Luck favoured us against Birkirkara. Well, penalties are just a lottery.”

Bilic admitted that an early exit from the Europa League at the hands of a Maltese team would have been an embarrassment for West Ham.

“Yes, it would have been embarrassing, a disaster for us if we, a Premier League club, had to be eliminated by a Maltese side, with all due respect to Birkirkara,” Bilic, who took over from Sam Allardyce last month, said.

“I did not expect Birkirkara to throw in the towel or show us respect because we are West Ham. I played many times in Europe and we should cope better with these circumstances.”

Yet, the Hammers boss took some positives from his side’s unimpressive showing at Ta’ Qali.

“We played 120 minutes with 10 men and in this heat... it will be good for the boys’ confidence in the long term,” Bilic said.

“This should help us in the matches against the Romanian side (Astra Giurgiu) because we have to learn from this experience.”

James Tomkins, who scored West Ham’s last-gasp goal in their 1-0 win over Birkirkara at Upton Park, was sent off late in the first half after an off-the-ball clash with Nikola Vukanac.

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble said the aggressive play adopted by the Maltese side didn’t surprise him.

“Really, we were not surprised by Birkirkara’s approach,” Noble said.

“We knew that they are a proud team who were playing in front of their own fans.

“This was a massive match for them. Coming to Malta, we knew that Birkirkara wouldn’t be a pull-over team. They started very well but at the end of the day we won the game after playing 120 minutes in conditions which we are not used to.

“It means a lot for the boys.

“We have a big season ahead of us and going through such a tough match without suffering injuries is the main thing for us.”