As the Malta national team gears up to take on England in a World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium tomorrow, for Maltese football old-timers this clash evokes memories of the 1971 European Nations Cup clash between the two countries at the Empire Stadium. Gianluca Lia spoke with former Malta goalkeeper Freddie Mizzi who shared his thoughts on what he describes as ‘his best football memory’.

Freddie Mizzi, affectionately known as Il-Pampalun, is regarded as one of Malta’s finest goalkeepers.

After starting his career with Melita, he moved to Floriana with whom he won a treble of honours in 1957-58 lifting the league, Cup and Cassar Cup trophies.

He then moved to Hibernians for a 17-year spell which saw him win three league championships, three Cup medals as well as the Sons of Malta Cup and the Independence Cup twice along with the Cassar Cup and the Schembri Shield.

Mizzi said that there was a huge dose of enthusiasm among the national team players when the news emerged that England were drawn with Malta in the 1972 European Nations Cup qualifiers.

 “When the draws were revealed, we had already felt the pressure of that game on our shoulders despite the fact that the fixture was pencilled for more or less a year later,” Mizzi said told Times of Malta.

“We prepared every detail and aspect, not only for that game, but for the entire group because we believed in ourselves and gelled well as a team. There was a huge work ethic among the players and that enabled us to achieve positive results.

“To be fair, it was a tough group because besides England, even Greece and Switzerland were decent opponents, with the latter challenging the Three Lions for the top spot in the group which meant automatic qualification to the finals.”

Prior to the England game, Malta had faced both Greece and Switzerland and on both occasions they managed to grab the headlines.

Against the Greeks, they were leading before the visitors scored in the final minutes, snatching a late point.

I have to admit that when I entered the field in front of that large crowd, I shed a tear because it was an unbelievable atmosphere

Against Switzerland, Malta were level at 1-1 before their opponents managed to take home the points with a late winner.

“We used to concede so many late goals that cost us points and that is probably due to the difference in our training when compared to our opponents,” he affirmed.

“However, we never created an alibi for our defeats despite the fact that we did not play on turf unlike some of our opponents who sometimes used to moan about our pitch conditions.

“I remember one-time Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton saying, ‘A good team plays anywhere, on any kind of pitch’, and he was right.”

Naturally, the England game was promoted by local media as Mizzi underlined, and probably it was their frequent coverage that added up more pressure on Carm Borg’s team.

An interesting anecdote revealed by the former Hibernians goalkeeper was that the players had to book leaves from their jobs in order to be available for training and eventually for the match.

“Not every player could book leave for training including myself, as I still used to do a three-hour shift before heading to the University for a late training session,” Mizzi recalled.

“As time went by, we started to feel a bit of pressure but we remained calm and everyone encouraged each other.

“However, I have to admit that when I entered the field in front of that large crowd, I shed a tear because it was an unbelievable atmosphere.”

Freddie Mizzi holds the England shirt donned by Gordon Banks during the 1971 qualifier. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Mizzi explained how at nine in the morning there was already a queue formed in front of the Stadium gates and by noon, three hours prior kick-off, the stands were already crowded and eventually, the attendance tallied to around 36,000 despite the stadium capacity being much less.

“From what I remember, the game was fairly-balanced as I was never forced to produce any particular saves but just pick-up crosses which were delivered from either flank,” the former Malta no.1 recalled.

“Unfortunately, the goal I conceded was very unlucky because Martin Peters had shot at goal with the ball passing in between so many legs that I saw it when it was too late.

“However, we did offer a reaction and we equalised through Joe Cini but the referee deemed otherwise as he adjudged that there was a foul on the goalkeeper.”

The iconic Empire Stadium almost erupted seven minutes from time when skipper Cini rushed towards the goal and from close-range he tried to slot the ball behind the Banks but the former Stoke City goalkeeper managed to avert danger, dashing Malta’s hopes of an unorthodox equaliser. 

“Irrespective of the final result, this match is without doubt the highlight of my career,” Mizzi said.

“I never played football for the sake of making money. I had a genuine passion for the beautiful game that provided me with so many friendships that are still alive till this very day.

“I’m really looking forward to Friday when I will re-unite with some of my team-mates on that day and surely we will revive the emotions we felt on that historic day for Maltese football.”