Malta 0
Cape Verde 2
Ramos 15 pen.; Monteiro 40
John Buttigieg's honeymoon as Malta coach is over.
Less than a month after Michael Mifsud's brace gave Malta a 2-0 win over Georgia in Buttigieg's maiden match, the national team slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Cape Verde Islands in a friendly match yesterday.
Malta's fruitful outing against Georgia had inevitably heightened hope of another positive result against the little-known Cape Verde team but such optimism proved misplaced.
It was evident from the early stages that Cape Verde were a cut above Buttigieg's men who simply had no answer to the Africans' superior skills, intelligent movement and the speed of the opposing forwards.
Cape Verde were certainly worth the two-goal lead they took inside the opening 45 minutes as Malta looked jaded and short of attacking flair.
The work rate of the bulk of the Malta players also left much to be desired, especially in the first half.
Coming just five days before a tough home qualifier against Sweden, this defeat will have given Buttigieg plenty of food for thought but, perhaps, on the positive side, it may also have provided the players with a timely wake-up call.
At the back, Buttigieg made no fewer than three alterations from the Georgia friendly with veteran Brian Said the only player to keep his place in Malta's four-man rearguard.
Maltese-Australian Manny Muscat deputised for the injured Alex Muscat on the right, Kenneth Scicluna flanked Said in the centre and Clayton Failla started on the left.
Andrew Hogg was handed the no.1 jersey ahead of Justin Haber. Mario Muscat, who started the Georgia friendly, was out of Buttigieg's 18-man squad.
In the absence of injured captain Gilbert Agius Ryan Fenech was tasked with partnering Jamie Pace in central midfield.
Roderick Briffa was preferred to Kevin Sammut on the right of midfield, Andrew Cohen was deployed on the left and Andrè Schembri operated behind Michael Mifsud.
Eight minutes into the game, Cape Verde's Ramos Odysseu fashioned a first-time shot from outside the area but his effort was off target.
Shortly afterwards, Dario Furtado guided the ball towards Heldon Ramos from a free-kick but the latter's drive was fisted away by Hogg.
On 14 minutes, Malta were caught off guard in defence as a long ball from midfield soared above Muscat and into the path of Ramos who was unmarked. The Cape Verde striker sped into the box and tried to evade Hogg's challenge but was brought down by Said who made a desperate sliding tackle in an attempt to dispossess Ramos.
Italian referee Luca Banti pointed the spot and booked Said before Ramos, who plays for GD Fatima in Portugal, drilled a low shot past Hogg to put Cape Verde ahead.
Cape Verde were the brisker side in these early stages as Malta looked disjointed and lacking in creativity.
The fast movement of Heldon Ramos and captain Claudio Aguiar was giving problems to the Maltese defence while the Cape Verde midfielders showed more graft and craft than the hosts in midfield.
A neat one-two between Briffa and Mifsud helped to lift the spirits of the meagre crowd at the National Stadium but the Valletta midfielder's return pass was too long.
Seven minutes from half-time, Hogg did well to beat away a dangerous effort from Aguiar.
Malta's respite was temporary as from the ensuing corner, taken by Elvis Macedo, defender Adilson Monteiro leapt into the air to direct a powerful header past Hogg.
Cape Verde's second goal ought to have awoken Malta from their torpor. On the stroke of half-time, Buttigieg's men came close to narrow the deficit but Said's header from Cohen's left-wing free-kick was touched away by Fredso Tavares.
Buttigieg hauled off Hogg and Schembri at half-time with Haber and Shaun Bajada taking their place.
The hosts should have reopened the issue when on 49 minutes Mifsud, latching onto a Briffa through-pass, but his angled lob took a deflection off a Cape Verde player.
Malta's possession count grew as the second half wore on. Pace and Fenech finally began to impose themselves in midfield while Cohen, virtually anonymous in the opening 45 minutes, tried to trouble the opposing defenders with a couple of twisting runs.
Nevertheless, Malta's chaotic efforts to make inroads into Cape Verde's half were easily warded off by the visitors.
Malta
A. Hogg ('46 J. Haber), E. Muscat ('84 A. Agius), B. Said ('66 J. Caruana), R. Fenech, R. Briffa, M. Mifsud, A. Cohen, C. Failla, A. Schembri ('46 S. Bajada), K. Scicluna, J. Pace ('74 K. Sammut).
Cape Verde
F. Tavares ('90 E. Soares), P. Cardoso ('79 V. Moreno), A. Monteiro, O. Ramos ('66 W. Borges), F. Neves, D. Furtado, C. Aguiar ('71 R. Duarte), E. Macedo, A. Arauso ('32 W. Amado), R. Silva, H. Ramos ('82 P. Moreira).
Referee: Luca Banti.
Yellow Cards: Said; Failla; O. Ramos.
Malta players' ratings
Hogg-5, Muscat-5, Said-5.5, Fenech-5.5, Briffa-5, Mifsud-5, Cohen-5.5, Failla-5, Schembri-4, Scicluna-5, Pace-5.5. Subs: Haber-6, Bajada-5.5, Caruana-5, Sammut, Agius.