The Malta national team left the Oktyrin Stadium in Moscow with a tinge of disappointment following their gutsy display in a 2-0 defeat to Russia in the 2022 World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday night.
In the post-game interview, Malta forward Luke Montebello pointed out that while the players were pleased with their performances, they were disappointed at their failure of picking up points against their more-quoted opponents
The Birkirkara player’s comments underlined the change in mentality within the national team environment since Devis Mangia took charge, where they are seeking to combine positive performances with points.
Gaining at least a point against Russia, a team who competed in the recent Euro 2020 finals, seemed a tall ask on paper for the 177th ranked Malta.