A goalless stalemate against Moldova hardly made for an uplifting start to Malta’s build-up for their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign but coach Pietro Ghedin preferred to focus on the positives of his team’s performance in Thursday’s friendly.

A slow-burning game at the National Stadium produced few scoring chances with Moldova fashioning the better opportunities while the Maltese team only threatened sporadically.

There was an early chance for Andrei Agius who flicked wide from Clayton Failla’s corner and, in the second half, Paul Fenech skied his shot high and wide but otherwise Ghedin’s men created little in attack.

On the plus side, Malta’s five-man defence was solid throughout with Agius delivering a towering display, capped by a vital goal-line clearance from Eugeniu Sidorenko in the second half.

“It was a tough game,” Ghedin said.

“Moldova came here to win, they were very aggressive and fought for every ball.

“This was a good challenge for us. If you don’t play this way, you can’t play football. I was pleased with my players because they showed the right commitment.

“Now we have to start thinking about our next two friendlies, two difficult away games against the Czech Republic and Austria in May.”

For all their hard work, midfielders Rowen Muscat, Paul Fenech, Bjorn Kristensen and, in the second half, Gareth Sciberras found it hard to push forward in support of Andrè Schembri and Alfred Effiong as Malta also struggled to keep possession.

While Ghedin declared himself pleased with the efforts of his midfielders, he admitted that he expects a lot more from a talented player like Kristensen.

“I thought we produced some good combinations in midfield,” Ghedin, who in January signed a new two-year contract to stay on as national coach until the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, said.

“Rowen Muscat and Paul Fenech played well. I was a bit disappointed with Bjorn Kristensen because I know he can give a lot more.

“I spoke to Bjorn after the game. I told him ‘you need to fight more, you have to be like a gladiator’.”

Thursday’s warm-up was a clash of the minnows as only five places separate Moldova (156) and Malta (161) in the FIFA rankings. The two teams finished the last Euro 2016 qualifying round with two points.

Ghedin said he was surprised with the performance of Moldova in their first outing since Igor Dobrovolski returned for his second spell as national coach last December.

“Moldova were a big surprise for me because they played very well,” Ghedin said.

“They had a good performance, they were tough, strong and clearly wanted to win the game.

“This is also another reason why I was satisfied as I left the pitch because our team also played well in this difficult encounter.

“All the Moldova players were strong and played with a different mentality compared to their last few games.”

Competition for places

Asked to identify one area where Malta really need to up their level at the moment, Ghedin replied: “You need to have the players with you to work on certain things. I want to improve all areas of our game if possible but I’m very satisfied that now we have a group of 20 players of a good level.

“All players have to fight to be in the team, no-one is guaranteed a starting place.”

While Ghedin made six substitutions after the break, he gave Henry Bonello a rare 90-minute run-out despite having two other goalkeepers, Andrew Hogg and Justin Haber on the bench.

“Henry Bonello played the whole game and, while I would have liked to bring on Haber and Hogg, you have to understand that we don’t play for the personal interests of the players,” Ghedin said of his decision to stick with the Valletta goalkeeper during Thursday’s friendly.

“I do what I think is best for the team and the Malta FA.”

A friendly against an unglamorous team like Moldova on Maundy Thursday failed to excite the home fans but Ghedin thanked those who did turn up, saying he appreciated their efforts to support the national team.

Moldova coach Dobrovolski, who had spells with Genoa, Marseille and Atletico Madrid during his playing career, had mixed feelings after the game.

“It’s hard for me to say something so quickly after the game,” Dobrovolski said.

“The match ended 0-0 but we came here to win. However, I’m happy about my players because we had a good game.”

The Moldova national coach had positive words for the hosts.

“Malta’s performance was not a surprise to me,” Dobrovolski said.

“We knew that they have technical players, they are a good team.

“In the final minutes, we tried to push for a winner but Malta defended well.

“We treated Malta as serious opponents.”

Dobrovolski hopes Thursday’s draw turns out to be a good omen as his first spell in charge of Moldova started with a 1-1 home draw against Malta in a Euro 2008 qualifier.

“I made my debut on the Moldova bench in that draw against Malta in 2007,” Dobrovolski said.

“My target is to do a great job for the national team in the coming matches.”