Malta’s encounter with Italy on Thursday night was a bittersweet experience for coach Pietro Ghedin.

Gunning against his native country for the fourth time in the space of three years, Ghedin had justified reason to be pleased with his side’s fearless showing but his satisfaction was tempered by a lingering sense of frustration at the contentious manner of Italy’s winner in the second half.

“We were almost there,” Ghedin said.

“We are disappointed with the result, especially the manner of Italy’s goal. Moreover, we’re back home empty-handed.

“The performance was good but we have no points to show for our efforts and that saddens me.”

Having branded Italy as an “unpredictable” team under Antonio Conte, who succeeded Cesare Prandelli last year, Ghedin was not surprised with the way Thursday’s Euro 2016 qualifier at the Stadio Artemio Franchi panned out.

Ghedin said: “Italy can do everything during a game. They can score two goals in two minutes because they have a lot of quality.

“But, credit to our team. We showed great determination and created a few scoring chances as well. This was probably our best match against Italy in the last three years.”

In Ghedin’s eyes, the courage and character shown by the Malta players were the most pleasing aspect of their showing in Florence.

“I admired the players’ courage,” Ghedin reflected.

“They never got demoralised, even after conceding the goal. The players continued to fight till the very end.”

Ghedin’s mood was also lifted by the gesture of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who visited the Malta dressing room after the game to congratulate the team for their fine showing.

“I was honoured by the presence of the prime minister who came to our dressing room after the game,” Ghedin said.

“It was a very nice surprise for me. Dr Muscat was very pleased and proud of the team’s performance. A big thanks to the Maltese supporters who came to the game because they helped the team with their non-stop backing.”

Meanwhile, the Malta squad checked in at the Hotel Excelsior in the early hours of yesterday after returning home on a chartered Air Malta flight from Bologna.

With midfielder Paul Fenech ruled out of tomorrow’s home qualifier against Azerbaijan (kick-off 6pm) after collecting his third yellow card on Thursday, Ghedin has added Floriana’s Clyde Borg to the squad as a replacement for the Birkirkara midfielder.