Jordan 2
Malta 0

A stoppage-time goal put a damper on what coach Pietro Ghedin described as a positive performance as Malta slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Jordan in an international friendly match at Istanbul’s Maltepe Stadium, yesterday.

Hamza Al Daradreh raced into the box from the right before hitting past goalkeeper Andrew Hogg after 11 minutes but Jordan had to wait until the dying stages to seal their victory as Ghedin’s men rallied as the game wore on.

Ghedin seized the opportunity to give a debut to a host of young players in Malta’s last match for 2015 and it was one of the newcomers, Valletta’s Llywelyn Cremona, a second-half substitute for Paul Fenech, who came closest to levelling matters but his drive came off the woodwork midway into the second half.

In the first half, Alfred Effiong also had a god chance to cancel out Jordan’s early opener but the Balzan forward fired wide.

Deep into added time, Jordan wrapped up their win when Yassin Bakhit scored their second goal.

“Our performance was positive but I’m gutted about the result because we didn’t deserve to lose,” a dejected Ghedin told Times of Malta.

“We created a number of scoring chances, including a shot from Cremona that came off the upright, but I’m very disappointed because we were again undone by two soft goals, with the second coming in stoppage time.

“The 2-0 loss is harsh on us because, in the first half, Jordan didn’t have many shots at goal but they took the lead.

“The team played well but some of our players were not at their best today.”

Pembroke Athleta defender Owen Bugeja made his first appearance for the country, partnering the more-experienced Andrei Agius and Steve Borg in the heart of defence.

Floriana duo Clyde Borg and Emanuel Briffa and Cremona were also handed their debut after entering the fray in second half as Ghedin made a total of six substitutions.

Captain Michael Mifsud replaced Roderick Briffa, Ryan Camenzuli earned his second cap after coming on for Failla and Andrè Schembri, who joined up with the squad on Tuesday after being involved in a league game for his Cypriot club AC Omonia on Monday evening, was a second-half substitute for Bjorn Kristensen.

Ghedin declared himself pleased with the efforts of the young players.

“The new players, Clyde Borg, Emanuel Briffa, Llywelyn Cremona and Ryan Camenzuli, did well in the second half,” the Italian coach said.

“Owen Bugeja also had a positive outing. I’m pleased with the contribution of the new players because they are very willing to learn and improve and have already understood the value of the national team shirt.”

Asked if a lack of motivation was to blame for the low-key showings of some players, Ghedin replied: “No, it had nothing to do with motivation because we made sure that the players approached the game in the right frame of mind.

“It could be that some players are out of form but even so, we didn’t deserve to lose and this is why I’m so frustrated.

“In football, you make mistakes but at this level, you can’t keep repeating the same mistakes because you get punished.

“I always expect the maximum from my players but these errors are costing us dearly as, once more, we conceded a soft goal in the opening minutes and another before the final whistle.

“We held our own against a Jordanian team that beat Australia last month but we ended up losing 2-0 which is very disappointing for me personally.”

Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo (right) with his Jordanian FA counterpart, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who is standing for FIFA president.Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo (right) with his Jordanian FA counterpart, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, who is standing for FIFA president.

Yesterday’s friendly doubled up as an occasion to mark the friendship between Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, the head of the Jordanian FA who is a candidate for the FIFA presidential election next year, and his Maltese counterpart Norman Darmanin Demajo.

The Malta FA was one of the associations that nominated Prince Ali for the February 26 vote to choose Sepp Blatter’s successor.

Both Prince Ali and Darmanin Demajo attended yesterday’s game in Turkey which brought the curtains down on Malta’s commitments this year.

It was also the last official assignment for Ghedin before his contract expires next month but talks over a new deal are expected to start soon.

Malta formation
A. Hogg, S. Borg, J. Zerafa (81 E. Briffa), G. Sciberras (86 C. Borg), A. Agius, P. Fenech (64 L. Cremona), C. Failla (58 R. Camenzuli), R. Briffa (54 M. Mifsud), O. Bugeja, B. Kristensen (60 A. Schembri), A. Effiong.

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