Callum Robinson exploited a rare defensive error by the Malta defence to hand Ireland a 1-0 win in an international friendly at the National Stadium on Sunday.
It was a disappointing outcome to a match that had seen the national team forced into defending for long stretches but still managed to create some good scoring opportunities and with better decision-making, they could have breached their opponents’ defence.
However, in the end, the match was decided early in the second half when a poor back pass from Matthew Guillaumier was fully exploited by Callum Robinson who fired home Ireland’s winner.
Despite the negative outcome, there were still many positives to take from this week’s international window, which has seen the team come close to upsetting Greece last week.
The team has shown a lot of confidence with the ball in their feet and created several scoring opportunities despite facing more-quoted opposition. That certainly bodes well ahead of next year’s Euro 2024 qualifiers which will pit the team against some of Europe’s powerhouses such as England and Italy.