On an evening when Malta toiled to make an attacking impact but showed plenty of resilience at the back, goalkeeper Andrew Hogg continued to repay the faith of coach Pietro Ghedin with another reassuring performance in the 1-0 defeat to Armenia on Friday.

Hogg, who left champions Valletta this summer to join Cypriot club Enonis Neon Paralimni, made a series of timely interventions to thwart Armenia on several occasions.

But a point-blank strike by substitute Artur Sarkisov 19 minutes from time undid the bold efforts of the Malta goalkeeper and his defensive colleagues, especially the centre-half pairing of Andrei Agius and Luke Dimech.

The 27-year-old earned the plaudits of the home fans and journalists for his defiant display but his satisfaction was tempered by Malta’s failure to kick off their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign on a positive note.

“No-one enjoys starting (a competition) with a loss,” Hogg told The Sunday Times. “I’m satisfied with my performance but in the end it’s the result that counts.”

Armenia deserved their win as they were the more enterprising side and created the better chances. For all their defensive resolve, Malta were erratic in their passing and hardly troubled the Armenian rearguard as their attacking moves were generally disjointed.

Hogg admitted that Malta didn’t offer much in attack but insisted that it was not for want of trying.

“Maybe we did struggle a bit to create chances but everyone gave their 100 per cent,” Hogg said. “Unfortunately, that’s football.”

Armenia, currently ranked 53rd in the FIFA rankings, held no surprises for Hogg and his team-mates.

“We all knew that Armenia were good on the counter-attack as we watched videos of their recent games” Hogg observed. “I thought that, until we conceded the goal, we were coping well with their counter-attacks.

“After going down with only 20 minutes left, we had to attack more to try and get an equaliser. Inevitably, they had some chances in the final minutes because we had more players pushing forward.

“They (Armenia) didn’t impress me much as a team. They have some dangerous players up front but overall, I think we were as good as them.”

After years of vying for the no.1 jersey with the experienced Justin Haber, Hogg looks to have gained a clear edge over his rival after starting most of Malta’s games in the last two years.

More significantly, Hogg has been involved in all three matches Malta have played since Ghedin’s appointment in May.

“I would like to thank him (Ghedin) and the previous coaches for showing confidence in my abilities,” the former Pietà Hotspurs custodian said.

“I work very hard to be successful in my career and I’m very happy about my current status as Malta’s no.1.”

On the back of his showing on Friday, Hogg is all but certain of guarding Malta’s goal in the eagerly-awaited clash with Italy in Modena on Tuesday.

Hogg is confident that the upset to Armenia will not impact on Malta’s preparations for the qualifier against the Euro 2012 runners-up.

“We have a couple of days to think about the last game but I’m pretty sure that from tomorrow (today) we will start to concentrate on the match against Italy,” Hogg said.

“This is the kind of game you really look forward to... it’s a big motivation.

“As a footballer, it’s in these difficult games that you get to know what you’re really made of.”

An already formidable task for Malta has been arguably made more difficult by the fact that the Azzurri will be going all out to mark their first home outing in this World Cup trek with a high-scoring victory after drawing 2-2 away to Bulgaria in their opening qualifier.

Having been kept busy by Armenia’s forwards, Hogg must be bracing himself for a hectic evening at the Alberto Braglia Stadium on Tuesday.

Asked about his mental preparation for the match, Hogg replied: “Before every game, I prepare myself for everything.”

Cyprus move

Not much has been heard about Hogg since his summer switch to Enosis Neon Paralimni but his performance on Friday suggests that he’s on top of his game.

Hogg offered a frank and honest reply when questioned about his targets in his first season with Paralimni.

“So far it has been a good experience,” Hogg said of his move to Cyprus. “It’s something different and it has given me fresh motivation.

“I needed it in my life, I was keen on a new challenge. I made this move for myself. I’ve already played a number of games for my new club.

“I’m someone from Malta and the truth is that the league in our country is not rated highly. I’ve spoken to some of my team-mates and they explained to me that if it’s a 50-50 decision between another goalkeeper and me, the decision will probably go in favour of the other.

“Being Maltese, you have to prove yourself more than the rest. The thing is that I’m trying to make a name for myself here because I’m a newcomer.

“If I play 15 games this season, I will be happy as I’m prepared to be patient and build a reputation.”

Meanwhile, Ghedin is not expected to make any changes to the 18-man squad for the trip to Italy as no injuries were reported after Friday’s qualifier against Armenia.

The Malta players had a recovery session yesterday morning at the Ta’ Qali training grounds. The squad will depart for Italy this afternoon.