Wednesday's 4-0 setback to Portugal offered very few positives for Malta but Shaun Bajada's confident display was surely one of the few pleasing aspects.

The D. Afonso Henriques Stadium in Guimaraes was awash with supremely-gifted players, the likes of Deco, Nani and Simao but Bajada didn't look out of place.

On a night when Malta were trapped on the backfoot for long stretches, Bajada's composure on the ball and neat footwork stood out.

The Birkirkara winger started on the left of midfield but switched to a more advanced role behind lone striker Michael Mifsud after Andrew Cohen departed with a thigh injury midway through the first half.

It speaks volumes of Bajada's vibrant performance that he received a warm applause from the Portuguese fans when he made way for Ryan Fenech 18 minutes from time.

If Malta had more players who, like Bajada, possessed the self-belief to run with the ball and take on opponents, maybe the team would have given a better account of themselves.

"I felt confident when in possession," Bajada told The Times.

"The coach encourages us to avoid giving the ball away cheaply when we have possession.

"I always try to create something when I have the ball. It's not easy at this level, particularly when playing against a team of Portugal's stature, but I felt comfortable on Wednesday."

Bajada acknowledged that Portugal were a class above Malta but rued the timing of the second goal.

"Portugal's goals came at the worst possible time for us," Bajada remarked.

"After taking an early lead, they slowed the tempo but their second goal was a hammer blow for us because it came just before half-time.

"The same happened in the second half as Portugal hit their fourth goal a minute from time."

Portugal tore into Malta from the outset and after Nani fired them ahead on 13 minutes, they coasted to an easy, hassle-free victory.

Bajada was impressed with the quality of Portugal's neat passing and movement.

"They have some outstanding players who are so good at keeping the ball at their feet," Bajada remarked.

"It's hard for a team like Malta when you spend most of the game chasing opponents. We tried hard to keep our tactical shape but Portugal were so good."

Malta's failure to find the net on Wednesday extended their goal famine to 10 competitive matches.

They never came close to breaking that jinx against Portugal but Bajada feels that, in other qualifiers, Malta deserved to get some goals.

"Not scoring a single goal in 10 qualifiers is hugely disappointing," Bajada said.

"However, I believe that this negative statistic doesn't provide a fair reflection of our performances in this competition.

"There were games when we created scoring chances and really should have scored. The qualifiers against Hungary (away) and Sweden (home and away) spring to mind but it was just not to be. We should have done better, no doubt about that, but luck didn't help us."

The Maltese national team was the only one in the World Cup qualifying campaign not to score a goal.

Meanwhile, Portugal's success in Guimaraes confirmed their place in the World Cup play-offs but failure to top Group One has come as a surprise to one and sundry for Carlos Quieroz's selection had been regarded as sure favourites to secure automatic qualification.

Competition for a top-two finish in Group One was a four-horse race that involved Denmark, the group winners, Portugal, Sweden and Hungary.

For Bajada, Portugal were the most skilful side of the challenging quartet.

"Portugal were the best in this group," Bajada said.

"The Scandinavian teams are more aggressive and perhaps tougher but, in terms of technical ability, Portugal have more quality players."

Born and bred in Gozo, the 26-year-old Bajada has established himself as a first-team player for Malta over the past three years.

Judging by his sound performance on Wednesday, Bajada is entitled to feel optimistic about his prospects of adding to his 15 caps for the national team but he's taking nothing for granted.

"In this qualifying campaign, I've been a regular in the team and that is very satisfying," Bajada said.

"However, I know that I have to work hard to stay in the team because there's a strong competition for places."

Despite Malta's disappointing performance in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Bajada is positive about the team's future.

"I think the future of this team could be bright," Bajada said.

"Malta will always find it hard to cope at this level with the big nations but we will continue to do our best to improve.

"There are already some talented youngsters in the squad and that is good for the national team."