Ray Farrugia could not hide his pride after the national team produced their best away performance in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign so far despite suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Romania in Ploiesti on Sunday.

George Puscas, who had scored a brace against Malta in the first meeting between the two countries last June, was again the man to condemn Farrugia’s men to defeat when heading home the winner early in the second half.

However, the match could have taken a different path had the visitors taken their chances, particularly Juan Corbalan’s opportunity just before the half-time interval when he was denied by the onrushing Romanian goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

In fact, it was no surprise to hear coach Cosmin Contra admitting that he watched nervously the final stages of the match as he feared his team could suffer a late equalizer which would have cost them two precious points in their bid for a runners-up spot in Group F.

Contra’s fears materialised    after the visitors improved considerably after the break and even had a goal ruled out for offside.

The Malta coach told a news  conference that he hopes his players will use their performance against Romania as a source of inspiration in their journey to become a more competitive team.

“I’m really pleased with the efforts of my players,” the Malta coach said.

“It was one of our best displays in this campaign. We played at a very high tempo and we kept going until the end.

“But there is still a long way to go for this team. My coaching staff and myself have only been in charge for just over a year and to see so much progress is very encouraging. We have changed a lot of things since we came in and now we have a blend of talented young and experienced players who are ready to work hard.

“Added to that we have the full backing of the Malta FA, which is very important to complete this project. We still need time but it’s important that we remain patient.”

The former Malta U-21 coach said that after this month’s double header he expects the players to show more hunger and determination to continue their development in the national team.

“My wish now is that I see the national team players coming to Ta’ Qali with renewed hunger and determination to prove that they deserve to be part of our set up,” the former Sliema Wanderers and Marsaxlokk coach said.

“Everyone knows that we are a very small country with very limited group of players to choose from. But that will not stop us from continuing to fight against adversity to ensure that we stay on course for what we want to achieve.

My wish now is that I see the national team players coming to Ta’ Qali with renewed hunger and determination to prove that they deserve to be part of our set up

“Our dream in the short term is clear… to try and avoid bottom place in the group.

“Next month we have a crucial double header which will see us play a decisive match against the Faroe Islands in Torshavn. It would be a marvelous achievement for us to be able to help the team avoid bottom place, something it was not achieved for many years.

“But if we achieve that it will only be the start as then we can set higher objectives for the next edition of the Nations League qualifiers.”

Striker Jean Paul Farrugia was an impressive performer for Malta on Sunday after making a return to the national team fold after almost a year out due to injury.

The Sliema Wanderers striker heaped praise on coach Farrugia and his technical staff and said that the meticulous tactical preparation of the Malta coaches for every international fixture is proving to be crucial for the national team to step up their performances.

“The national team coaches are doing a very good job,” the 27-year-old striker told the Times of Malta.

“They are spending hours to analyse our opponents and it’s yielding the desired dividends as we’re coming for these matches well prepared. In these last two qualifiers we conceded three goals, all from set-piece situations. We are defending very well as a unit and all players are doing their part to remain very compact. We just have that last part of the jigsaw missing.”

Jean Paul Farrugia said that he is grateful to the Malta coach for showing faith in him after a very difficult time in his career.

“I really appreciate a lot that the coach showed faith in my ability and gave me the opportunity to return to the squad,” the former Chiasso striker said.

“The last 12 months have been very difficult for me as I was hampered by a nagging injury that required surgery. Luckily, I managed to return for pre-season and started the season but I never thought that I would be handed a chance straight away. So when I was included n the squad I was over the moon after passing through so much heartache.”

Double header

Sunday’s result will be a huge shot in the arm for the players ahead of next month’s double header against Sweden and Faroe Islands.

The general feeling is that Malta’s best chance of picking up points is when the team travels to Torshavin to face the Faroe Islands. However, the Malta striker said that if the players believe more in themselves they are capable of giving a good challenge to any team.

“The Malta coach always tells us that we are good players and we should start believing more in ourselves,” the national team forward said.

“Against Romania we have shown that we are capable of playing at this level if we believe more in ourselves as we do have the required technical qualities. I think sometimes it’s more of a mental blockage that stops us from performing to our best against the strongest teams in Europe.

“Now it’s time to look forward and keep this performance in our mind as it should remind us that if we are tactically well disciplined and stick to our game plan we can offer a good challenge to not only teams like the Faroe Islands but also to Sweden and Spain too.”