If only Malta could reproduce their friendly form in competitive encounters.

Wednesday’s warm-up against Switzerland, who, lest we forget, played in the World Cup last summer, was Malta’s first international outing of 2011 and their gallant showing augurs well for their remaining Euro 2012 qualifiers, starting with the visit of Greece on March 26.

A goalless stalemate against a strong Swiss side ought to give Malta a much-needed psychological fillip after the national team wrapped up their 2010 commitments with a 3-0 upset to Croatia.

Adventurous in the first half and defiant in the second, Malta conjured up a confident display which left regular national team followers wondering why our elite players fail to show the same composure in qualifiers.

Indeed, Malta’s best results since John Buttigieg took over from Dusan Fitzel as national coach in 2009, have been achieved in friendlies. This was the third positive outcome in warm-up games over the past 15 months, the other two being the 2-0 victory over Georgia in Buttigieg’s first match in charge and the one-all draw with Macedonia last summer.

Unsurprisingly, much of the post-match focus was on Justin Haber who saved two Swiss penalties.

“Haber’s penalty saves gave the team great motivation,” Buttigieg said. “Conceding a penalty after just 90 seconds made for a difficult start but the team got over it.

“The rhythm in international games is different to that of local football but the players improved as the first half progressed,” Buttigieg added.

“Although the players got a bit tired towards the end, the tempo of the game remained high.”

Buttigieg seldom comments on refereeing decisions but he slammed Cyprus official Marios Stamatis for his failure to dismiss Steve von Bergen for a last-man foul on Michael Mifsud in the early stages of Wednesday’s game.

“There was a very strange decision by the referee when Michael Mifsud was fouled when he was through on goal early in the game,” Buttigieg said.

“The defender should have been sent off but if I’m not mistaken he was not even cautioned.”

Buttigieg’s choice of a 4-4-2 tactical strategy improved Malta’s attacking game but the coach rued the team’s failure to take their first-half chances.

“We had four to five chances but unfortunately we didn’t score,” Buttigieg said.

“It’s important to score because a goal boosts morale.”

The draw against Switzerland should ensure a serene build-up for the Greece qualifier but Buttigieg is keeping his feet firmly grounded.

“It (the result) is a boost for the whole squad, the players, the coaches and the technical staff ahead of next month’s qualifier against Greece,” Buttigieg said. “However, we shouldn’t think that we have arrived somewhere, far from it.”

Asked whether he regarded Wednesday’s draw as the most prestigious result since his appointment as national coach, Buttigieg said football is not about personal glory.

“This is not about me,” Buttigieg said. “The national team is not mine. As I said, this is a prestigious result for the team, the coaches, the staff and all those who love Maltese football.”

Malta’s performance on Wednesday was one of the best under Buttigieg and his assistant Carmel Busuttil but the coach stressed that the team had also produced good football in other matches despite finishing on the losing end.

“In certain moments of the match, the team’s performance was very good,” Buttigieg reflected. “There were other good games by our team though, like the home qualifier against Latvia (0-2) and the match in Georgia (0-1).

“The reality is that the team also enjoyed bright spells in games that we lost but I accept that it’s difficult for the fans to recognise that.”

The players in Malta’s starting line-up on Wednesday have good cause to be upbeat about their chances of keeping their place in the side for the Greece encounter but Buttigieg insisted that the national team’s door remains wide open to those who missed the Swiss friendly as well as others who demonstrate they have the desire and talent to be in the squad.

“I hope there are more players who show that they can do well for the national team,” Buttigieg said.

“I have great faith in the players who were involved in today’s game as well as those who were left out of the squad for different reasons.”

Birkirkara defender Joseph Zerafa, who replaced club-mate Andrei Agius after the latter picked up a knee injury in the closing stages of Wednesday’s friendly, was among several players aged under 25 in the Maltese side. The good showings by the young guns enriched Buttigieg’s optimism about the future of the national team.

“Joseph Zerafa was making his first appearance for the national side,” Buttigieg said. “He’s still young. The back four were good. I’m delighted that we had many players aged 23 to 24 in the team, the likes of Jonathan Caruana, Andrei Agius, Andrè Schembri, Paul Fenech and Zerafa. This bodes well for the future of the team.”

The subject of a seemingly endless debate over his continued presence in the national squad despite being without a club for several months, Malta captain Mifsud vindicated Buttigieg’s unstinting faith in him with a typically brisk display.

Buttigieg believes that Mifsud, who scored a hat-trick on his Qormi debut last weekend, has room for improvement.

“Michael Mifsud can play even better,” Buttigieg said. “He can also improve certain aspects of his game and should pass the ball more.”

Hitzfeld laments penalty misses

Switzerland’s penalty woes left coach Ottmar Hitzfeld deflated.

“It was very disappointing,” Hitzfeld said of the penalty misses.

“We tried to win the game in the second half and the players never stopped trying. We had some good chances but we couldn’t get past a good goalkeeper.

“The only positive we can take from this game is that we didn’t concede a goal after missing two penalties. Malta have two very dangerous strikers. Mifsud is very fast and is good at winning free-kicks and potentially penalties.”

Hitzfeld dismissed concerns that Switzerland’s failure to see off ‘little’ Malta may cast a shadow over their preparations for next month’s trip to Group G opponents Bulgaria.

“I’m not worried,” Hitzfeld said. “Our performance here shows that we have a lot to do to be ready for the game against Bulgaria.”

Switzerland are third in Group G with three points from three games, seven behind leaders Montenegro and four adrift of England. Bulgaria also have three points while Wales are still without a point.

Malta have yet to pick their first point in Group F after losing their opening four qualifiers. Croatia are top of the group with 10 points, two ahead of Greece.