Malta yesterday conceded their third defeat on the trot in the European Promotion Cup for men, being played in Andorra, after going down 86-76 to Albania in a Group B match.

In spite of this defeat, the Maltese produced a gallant performance, especially in the first two quarters during which they managed to surge into a strong 12-point gap, 52-40.

After the change of ends, Malta failed to weather the strong comeback by Albania who went on to win the match with a 10-point margin.

In his aftermatch comments, Malta coach Bruno Di Pietrantonio praised the performance of the Maltese players, both in defence and attack, against an Albanian team comprising several players who are engaged by clubs in Italy and other European countries.

The improvement achieved by the Maltese side shows that better results can be obtained if the team play more competitive international games, Di Pietrantonio opined.

Malta started their group commitments with defeats to Scotland, 62-86, and Wales, 68-93. They complete their Group B matches this afternoon at 4.30 when they face Luxembourg.