The Malta rugby national team suffered their first defeat in the Conference South 1 qualifiers when they went down 7-3 in Croatia on Saturday.
The Maltese players produced a gallant display against the group leaders but could not break down the resolute Croatian defence who held firm, particularly in the second half when the visitors launched a series of attacks to try and turn the match in their favour.
Malta’s failure to make the most of their set-piece situations came back to haunt them as three penalty misses turned out to be the team’s downfall.
The Maltese had made a bright start and inside the fifth minute, they were already 3-0 up when Chris Dudman managed to convert a central penalty kick.