Malta 1
Mifsud 25;
Georgia 1
Kankava 14;
The joy of the Maltese players and fans at the end of this hard-fought match was palpable.
After seven straight defeats, Malta finally got off the mark in Euro 2012 qualifying Group F following a 1-1 draw with Georgia at the National Stadium yesterday.
This qualifier was always seen as Malta’s best chance to end their drought and our national team players certainly rose to the occasion.
Brimming with confidence, Malta poured forward from the off to pile the pressure on Georgia who were clearly taken aback by the home team’s vibrant start.
All the home players made a rich contribution to achieve this commendable result as they harried their opponents en masse and attacked with a fluency rarely seen by our national team.
Their efforts resulted in arguably one of the best Malta showings in recent years, one that should have been rewarded with a three-point haul as John Buttigieg’s men had an edge over their opponents.
When Georgia broke the deadlock against the run of play after just 14 minutes, fears of another mental decline by our team loomed large over the National Stadium but to their immense credit, the home players retained their composure.
Michael Mifsud’s equaliser will remain indelible in the minds of those who witnessed it, not only because it earned Malta a much-craved point but moreso for its sheer beauty.
Certainly, Mifsud and his team-mates deserved the applause of the fans after the match as they saluted the crowd before heading to the dressing rooms.
The inclusion of defender Jonathan Caruana for Manny Muscat represented the only change in Malta’s starting XI from the Croatia defeat.
Muscat’s demotion to the subs’ bench meant that John Buttigieg had to indulge in some positional tinkering. With Caruana taking up his usual position in the centre of defence, Roderick Briffa, who started on the right of midfield against Croatia, switched to right-back.
After deputising for Caruana last Friday, Gareth Sciberras moved to his familiar station in central midfield while Ryan Fenech was repositioned at left midfield. The Valletta midfielder received the nod ahead of the recalled Daniel Bogdanovic who had to settle for a place on the bench.
Georgia coach Temur Ketsbaia made two alterations from the 1-0 home defeat to Latvia. Nukri Revishvili, who plays his club football for Russian side Anzi Makhachkala, was preferred to Giorgi Loria and Gia Grigalava, who also plies his trade in Russia with FC Volga Novgorod, replaced Aleksandr Amisulashvili who was not in the squad.
As Dutch referee Paulus van Boekel whistled the start of the match, shouts of ‘Malta, Malta’ reverberated around the stadium, an indication of the fans’ high expectations for this qualifier.
Unlike the game against Croatia, the Maltese players oozed confidence in the initial stages as they stroked the ball around with precision. Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze was fortunate to escape a caution for a late challenge on André Schembri after just three minutes.
Andrew Hogg’s first intervention was a sound one as the Malta goalkeeper came out to fist the ball away after Grigalava headed goalwards. The determination and positive mindset of the Malta players was evident when Sciberras retrieved possession just outside the box and passed to Fenech who in turn flicked the ball towards André Schembri who sped towards goal only to be felled by Zurab Kizhanishvili who was booked.
The ensuing free-kick, taken by Briffa, was blocked by Georgia’s defensive wall. In next to no time, Mifsud, who had just received from Schembri, let fly a stinging shot that Revishvili turned away for a corner.
Georgia had been second best in the initial stages but it was they who drew first blood. Not for the first time, Malta let in a soft goal as David Targamadze’s corner from the right flew towards Jaba Kankava who was quite far from goal but his dipping header soared above Hogg and went in via the underside of the crossbar.
All the fans will have rued the soft manner of Georgia’s goal as the red-shirted players had produced some flowing football before conceding but home optimism was restored when Malta scored a deserved equaliser. And what a goal it was as Mifsud, receiving Briffa’s pass outside the box, turned adroitly before unleashing an unstoppable shot that gave Revishvili no chance.
This excellent strike took Mifsud’s tally to 30 goals but, more significantly, it further enhanced his status as one of Malta’s greatest players ever.
Four minutes past the half-hour, Hogg did well to smother away Otar Martsvaladze’s shot. Another sweeping Malta move saw Andrew Cohen cutting the ball back for Briffa who crossed for Andrei Agius but the latter’s header was saved by the Georgia goalkeeper.
At half-time, Ketsbaia will surely have urged his players to step up their game as Malta had been the better side in the first half. Georgia threatened to regain the lead five minutes into the second half when Grigalava released Alexander Iashvili whose firm effort was beaten away by Hogg.
Malta remained dangerous going forward. Schembri pushed forward through the middle but his through-ball to Mifsud was cut out by the Georgia defence.
Close to the hour mark, Ryan Fenech was stretchered off after dislocating his shoulder following Guram Kashia’s unorthodox tackle. Bogdanovic came on for the Valletta midfielder.
The new Blackpool signing threatened to make an instant impact as he cut in from the left before rifling a shot that Revishvili turned around his near post.
A rare Georgia attack saw the overlapping Kashia deliver a low cross from the right but Vladimer Dvalishvili poked wide.
Buttigieg sought to stiffen his midfield as he sent on Jamie Pace for Schembri.
As the end of the game approached, the game became more balanced. John Hutchinson fired wide after receiving from Mifsud.
Georgia had a good chance of their own as Shota Grigalasvhili directed a through-pass to Dvalishvili whose grounder was blocked by Hogg.
The Malta goalkeeper executed another good save when touching away a dangerous effort by Alexander Kobakhidze, a second-half substitute.
Aftermatch comments
John Buttigieg (Malta): “I’m pleased that we finally won our first point in the group after a very positive performance. The players were exceptional today as they showed great discipline and didn’t commit the same mistakes they did against Croatia. We deserve to break our duck in the group. This was not our first positive showing throughout the campaign as we had done well against Greece and Georgia away but for one reason or another we finished on the losing end on both occasions.”
Temuri Ketsbaia (Georgia): “It was a very difficult match for us as Malta are a very tough team to beat. I think that Malta are unlucky to only have one point in the group. I have played against Malta in the Rothmans Tournament way back in 1993 and from what I saw today this team has improved a lot. Michael Mifsud is a top player and honestly I can’t understand how a striker of his quality is still playing in the Maltese league.”
Malta
A. Hogg, J. Caruana, G. Sciberras, A. Agius, R. Fenech (60 D. Bogdanovic), R. Briffa, M. Mifsud, A. Cohen (90 I. Woods), J. Hutchinson, A. Schembri (76 J. Pace), C. Failla.
Georgia
N. Revishvili, J. Kankava, G. Kashia, K. Kaladze, G. Grigalava, Z. Khizanishvili, J. Ananidze (77 A. Kobakhidze), O. Matrsvaladze (65 S. Grigalashvili), A. Iashvili (61 V. Dvalishvili), L. Kobiashvili, D. Targamadze.
Referee: P. Van Boekel (Netherlands).
Yellow cards: Khizanishvili; Kashia.
Attendance: 5,000.
Malta players’ ratings
Hogg-7, Caruana-7, Sciberras-7, Agius-7, Fenech-6.5, Briffa-7, Mifsud-7, Cohen-6.5, Hutchinson-6.5, Schembri-6.5, Failla-6.5.
Subs: Bogdanovic-6.5