Malta 2
Turkey 2

Driven on by a patriotic crowd and their own desire to add to the country's burgeoning international reputation, our elite footballers carved another memorable chapter in the history of the local game when holding Turkey to a 2-2 draw in a Euro 2008 Group C qualifier at the National Stadium.

Goals by defender Brian Said and Andrè Schembri, indubitably two of the best performers for Malta yesterday, rewarded the resilient efforts of the home team who were clearly keen to make a point against the much-vaunted Turks on the day Malta proudly remembers the gallantry of our ancestors in the 1565 Great Siege.

Needing a victory to strengthen their chances of clinching one of the two qualifying spots in Group C, Turkey had more possession than Malta but Dusan Fitzel's team not only displayed great tactical cohesion, they were also very dangerous on the counter with Michael Mifsud and Schembri running non-stop to give the visiting defenders a torrid time.

It speaks volumes of Malta's attacking impact on yesterday's match that twice they were leading Turkey only to be pegged back within minutes.

Although Fatih Terim's team hit back quickly to cancel out Malta's lead on two occasions, Fitzel's players deserve nothing but praise for maintaining their focus and composure to hold out for a draw and take their tally in the group to five points, a new record for the national team.

The National Stadium was a sea of red and white as thousands of fans converged on Ta' Qali for this much-awaited match.

Most of the noise prior to kick-off emanated from the South End which was teeming with flag-waving Maltese fans who unfurled a giant replica of a Malta shirt as the two teams marched onto the pitch for the start of the game.

The Millennium Stand was also packed to its rafters while a sizeable crowd of Turkish supporters, most of them holding flags, took up a large part the east side of the enclosure.

Ian Azzopardi, of Sliema, received Fitzel's nod to patrol Malta's left flank after recovering from an eye injury he sustained last Wednesday.

Coventry City striker Michael Mifsud took his now customary probing duties behind lone striker Schembri while in midfield, Fitzel chose Ivan Woods and Roderick Briffa to lend support to his established central partnership of Jamie Pace and Agius.

Apart from Azzopardi, Malta's other three defensive roles were assigned to Said, Luke Dimech and Kenneth Scicluna with Justin Haber picked ahead of Mario Muscat to guard the Maltese goal.

This being Agius's first home outing since he reached the 100-cap landmark in the away qualifier against Norway, Joe Mifsud, the MFA president, presented the Malta captain with a memento before yesterday's match.

Barely four minutes from the start of the game had elapsed when Turkey's Tuncay Sanli headed well over the bar following a corner.

Malta's response saw Mifsud making headway down the inside-left channel before dragging the ball back to the advancing Agius just outside the D. The Malta captain was immediately surrounded by three Turkish fans but he somehow managed to slip the ball to Mifsud whose piledriver from distance was off target.

In the early stages, Turkey players had a technical edge over their opponents but Malta not only managed to hold their own but were also dangerous with quick, vertical balls to the buzzing Mifsud and Schembri.

On fourteen minutes, Mifsud got on the end of another floating pass from the back and quickly released Schembri.

The Eintracht Braunschweig forward dallied his way into the area but appeared to have been caught in the face by Getin Servet's flailing elbow. Austrian referee Stefan Messner ignored Maltese claims for a penalty.

At the other end, a prolonged Turkey move threatened to unlock the Maltese defence as Arda Turan delivered a teasing cross towards Halil Altintop whose scrambled header from close range was deflected away by Dimech.

It was then Said's turn to thwart Turkey when repelling a potentially dangerous effort by Sanli.

Scoring chances were hard to come by at both ends of the pitch. Four minutes past the half hour, Woods tried to surprise Arikan with a chipped lob from the distance but his effort lacked precision.

A moment of hesitation in the Maltese defence almost gifted Turkey a goal as Hakan Sukur touched the ball past the on-rushing Haber but Scicluna ran across the face of goal to push the ball away for a corner.

The stadium erupted with joy five minutes from half-time when Malta seized the lead.

More intelligent movement by Schembri forced Servet to concede a corner. Briffa's hanging cross whistled past a thicket of Turkey players and towards the far post where Said controlled the ball on his chest before firing an unstoppable shot past Arikan.

Home joy was shortlived though as on the cusp of half-time, Turkey levelled the score. Ibrahim Uzulmez's overlap on the left unsettled Malta as the crafty Turkey defender advanced all the way to the by-line from where he directed a dangerous cross towards the centre of the box. Halil Altintop unleashed a powerful volley which crashed against the underside of the bar but the ball went in via Haber's grounded body.

The incoming Gukdenz Karadeniz, who had just replaced the injured Sabri Sarioglu, almost made an instant impact when his low shot sailed past Haber but Said was at hand to clear the ball off the line.

This came six minutes into the second half. Moments later, Karadeniz's menacing cross from the right was pushed away by Haber.

Malta's first noteworthy move of the second half came after 16 minutes when Pace stormed into the box but overhit his pass towards the far post.

As the minutes trickled by, Turkey, inspired by the elegant forays of Emre, upped the tempo of their game as they looked to move ahead.

With 21 minutes left, Turkey should have put their noses in front when Uzulmez's cross was met by the unmarked Halil Altintop but the latter's header was parried by the sprawling Haber.

In no time, Haber and Said came to their team's rescue when blocking goalbound attempts from Emre and Sukur during a lengthy Turkey raid.

Gilbert Agius did exceptionally well to spot Mifsud in the Turkey half where the pacey striker managed to hold off the brusque challenge of Akman but in dribbling goalkeeper Arikan, the Malta striker drifted too wide of the goal. Mifsud kept his nerve as he squared the ball to Schembri who somehow managed to squeeze it home despite being shadowed by a Turkey defender. Cue scenes of uncontained joy by the Maltese players and fans but the score became 2-2 barely three minutes later.

A corner by Hamit Altintop was headed home by Servet Getin.

Nine minutes from the end, Malta survived a scare when Emre's grounder came off the post.

A counter-attack by Malta almost yielded a goal when Kevin Sammut, who had just come on for Briffa, passed to Schembri and the latter quickly transferred the ball to the steaming Mifsud on the right but the latter's diagonal shot flew wide.

In stoppage time, Terrence Scerri and George Mallia, two second-half substitutes, combined to create a Malta attack but the latter's flick-on was neutralised by a Turkey defender.

The referee's final whistle came soon after, sparking wild celebrations among the home players and the fans.

Aftermatch comments

Dusan Fitzel: "I expected the Turks to play the way they did because I studied their tactics by watching all the footage of their recent matches. Before the match I had urged my players to try and play as a team and do their utmost to make life difficult for Turkey.

"I told my players that if they managed to score first they would avoid defeat. Obviously, I was not pleased at all that we conceded a goal just before half-time and then again within a minute of forging ahead for the second time. However, I firmly believe that we could have won the match had luck been on our side."

Fatih Terim: "I never thought that the Maltese players could score against us. We certainly did not play well today. The two points dropped means that we now have to win all our remaining matches if we are to qualify.

"I take full responsibility for this result. We lost some key players through injury during the match and that affected our performance. But I have no doubt that had we scored the first goal of the match, things would have been different."

Malta Players' ratings:

Haber-6.5, Azzopardi-6.5, Said-7.5, Dimech-6.5, Agius-7, Briffa-6.5, Mifsud-7.5, Woods-6.5, Schembri-8, Scicluna-6.5, Pace-7.

Subs: Mallia-6; Sammut-6; Scerri.

Malta: Justin Haber, Ian Azzopardi, Brian Said, Luke Dimech, Gilbert Agius, Roderick Briffa ('87 Kevin Sammut), Michael Mifsud, Ivan Woods ('82 George Mallia), Andrè Schembri ('90 Terrence Scerri), Kenneth Scicluna, Jamie Pace.

Turkey: Hakan Arikan, Servet Gatin, Ibrahim Uzulmez, Emre Belozoglu, Hakan Sukur, Arda Turan ('30 Ayhan Akman), Tuncay Sanli ('65 Deniz Baris), Ibrahim Toraman, Halil Altintop, Hamit Altintop, Sabri Sarioglu ('51 Gukdenz Karadeniz).

Referee: Stefan Messner (Austria).

Scorers: Said 40; Halil Altintop 45; Schembri 73; Servet 76.

Yellow cards: Pace; Schembri; Said; Akman; Agius; Toraman.

Attendance: 13,000.