Lion-hearted display earns Malta first point

Malta 0
Slovenia 0

A spirited performance yielded Malta U-21 their first point from the UEFA European Championship after they held Slovenia to a goalless draw in a Group One qualifier at the Hibs Ground yesterday.

Coach Mark Miller was delighted to see his young players producing a gallant display, based on sound defending and solid play throughout which saw them breaking their duck after five consecutive defeats.

Slovenia, second in Group One, held most of the initiative throughout the match but found a bold Malta team in their way who failed to wilt under the opponents' constant pressure.

Lee Lombardi, Sean Tellus and Kurt Farrugia were a rock in the heart of the Maltese defence as they frustrated the Slovenians who found it hard to make any headway towards Justin Haber's goal.

Kevin Sammut and Gareth Sciberras were inspirational in midfield. Sammut, who shrugged off a groin problem, produced typical captain's performance as he tackled hard for every ball, besides providing support to lone striker Antoine Zahra.

Sciberras found strong support from Christian Cassar and Roderick Bajada as they pressed hard when the Slovenians were in possession so much so that the visitors hardly had enough space to impose their swift short-passing game.

Malta had a bright start and after only seven minutes they created the first scoring opportunity. Sammut retrieved possession in midfield and after a swift interchange with Sciberras, the Sliema midfielder powered his way in the Slovenia area only for his shot from an angle to be blocked by quick-thinking goalkeeper Damir Botonjic.

The Slovenians were taking more time than anticipated to settle down and their struggle was evident as they opted for long ball tactics to avoid the sturdy challenge of the Maltese in midfield.

On 25 minutes, the Slovenians appealed for a penalty when Dominik Bersnjak's curling free-kick looked to have hit Sammut's hand in the area but the referee saw nothing untoward.

Eight minutes from the break Roderick Briffa came to Malta's rescue when Borut Tisnikar released Bersnjak and the Genk midfielder, with only Haber to beat, was blocked in time by the Birkirkara wing-back.

The Slovenians increased their urgency on the restart as Haber had to rush out to halt Bersnjak's stride while Rusmin Dedic hit over. Denis Zilavec then had a low drive that flashed wide.

The pressure on the Maltese fort was becoming more intense as the minutes ticked away but still Miller's men were controlling proceedings with great composure.

On 65 minutes the Malta coach roped in Jonathan Bondin in lieu of Bajada to add more punch in midfield. Five minutes later Haber was called to save a Mejac shot and the Slovenia striker was again close soon after when his low shot missed the target by a whisker.

Slovenia did put the ball into Haber's net on 72 minutes but Lunder's goal was ruled out for offside.

The duel between Haber and Mejac continued three minutes later with the Maltese goalkeeper effecting a fine save when he used his feet to neutralise the Slovenia striker's header from close in.

Malta tried to keep possession as long as possible, also trying to break when the chance came their way. In stoppage time Botonjic had to be on the alert to stop a Briffa free-kick.

A few seconds later the referee blew the final whistle, the Maltese clan erupted with joy. The first point had finally arrived.

Boys worked hard for this result - Mark Miller

A delighted Mark Miller heaped praise on his players for their fighting spirit and said that they were finally reaping the dividends of long months of hard work.

"I'm happy for the boys because they worked so hard to get this result. We knew that against Slovenia we stood a good chance of getting our first point. It was not easy because we played a very strong side but my players showed that they have great character and we fully deserved to get this draw," he said.

"Until recently, only a few saw a bright future to this team. Now, after this result, things are looking brighter for us. Cyprus is next now and I'm confident the boys will do their best to maintain the progress."

Malta: J. Haber, I. Azzopardi, R. Briffa, S. Tellus, L. Lombardi, R. Bajada (J. Bondin), G. Sciberras, C. Cassar (T. Cilia), A. Zahra, K. Sammut, K. Farrugia (C. Ciantar).

Slovenia: D. Botonjic, J. Aljancic, M. Lunder, B. Ilic, D. Plastovski, J. Zavri (L. Zinko), R. Dedic, D. Bersnjak (M. Zatkovic), A. Mejac, B. Tisnikar (L. Strbac), D. Zilavec.

Referee: Miezelis (Lithuania FA).

Yellow Cards: Zavri, Azzopardi.