Malta coach Ray Farrugia insisted that his players are itching to provide the right response to the humiliating defeat suffered to Spain in Cadiz as the national team face Norway in their final Group F match from the Euro 2020 qualifiers tonight (kick-off: 20.45).

The last few days have been very difficult for the national coach and his players who were subjected to a huge dose of criticism from the local media and football fans after their shambolic performance Cadiz which saw the team suffer second-half collapse to slump to their heaviest defeat in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign after losing 7-0.

Tonight, Farrugia and his players have the chance to earn some redemption against a Norway side who have little to play for as they have already secured a place in the Euro 2020 play-offs after topping their group in the UEFA Nations League last year.

“It is a difficult moment for us,” Farrugia told a news conference.

“We are disappointed with our performance against Spain but it’s good that after only three days we will again be back in action. It’s going to be another difficult match, as Norway, have a very a strong team, but our players’ morale has improved and we have the opportunity to try and make amends from the Spain match.”

Farrugia confirmed that he is planning to bring in some fresh legs for tonight’s clash, with defender Steve Borg set for a recall to the starting formation after missing the match in Cadiz due to suspension.

Juan Corbalan is out of the match after he suffered an injury against Spain and although Farrugia did not divulge the names of the players who are expected to return to the starting formation, Paul Fenech, Luke Gambin and Joseph Zerafa could be among those to be included in the starting XI.

“I’m planning to bring in fresh legs, especially after the team were forced to chase the ball for long spells against Spain. Our goal is quite clear, we will doing everything we can to try and finish our campaign on a positive note,” he said.

The Malta coach, whose contract expires in December, said that he is not concerned about his future but reiterated his stance that all the work he has done with his fellow members of the technical staff was to try and start a process that would lead to a more competitive national team.

“When I was given the job two years ago, my first statement in my first press conference was very clear… I wanted to bring in young players in the team and give them the opportunity to gain the necessary experience to play at international level,” Farrugia said.

“It was a huge risk but I felt that it was a gamble worth taking as what we had at the back of our mind was the future of Maltese football.

“We did have some negative results, but we also had some positive moments, particularly our win against the Faroe Islands, a country against whom we had never managed a win in a competitive match.

“Our philosophy of bringing in young players has resulted today in having 11 young players who have been part of our set up and are gaining invaluable experience.

“It was a huge risk, particularly after being draw in a tough group with much bigger countries such as Spain, Norway and Romania but somebody had to take that risk and I was ready to do it.

“Nobody is capable of producing miracles overnight, we need time to rebuild our national team. But I’m confident that now that this process has begun whoever will be in charge can continue to build on our work and hopefully in two years’ time we will see a much better national team.”

Criticism

Farrugia said that one thing that disappoints him in Maltese football, is that when there is a problem, everyone starts to criticise everything instead of coming together and try to solve the problem.

“It’s a pity that when bad things happen we tend to continue create divisions between us instead of coming together and try to solve what is going wrong,” the Malta coach said.

“It’s very easy to criticise but when one has a problem at home one sits down and talks to see how one can improve things. There are still some positive things in Maltese and we need to build on them.

“Everyone should come together, with no hidden agendas, and work closely for the good of Maltese football. Unless we change our stance, there is no chance that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Dunstan Vella, the Malta midfielder, said that all players in the squad were hurting after the defeat in Spain but said that now they are looking forward to try and produce a much-improved display against Norway.

“The result against Spain hurt us a lot as players,” the Hibernians midfielder said.

“What happened in Cadiz is now in the past and we are all looking forward to the match against Norway where we are itching to produce a much better performance. It’s important that everyone takes his responsibilities and work harder to achieve a better result.

“The determination is there among all players to prove that we are much better than we showed against Spain and I sincerely hope that the fans will be behind us to help us end the campaign on the right note.”

 

PAST ENCOUNTERS

FRIENDLIES

05-11-61 Malta vs Norway  1-1

03-07-62 Norway vs Malta  5-0

07-02-90 Malta vs Norway  1-1

08-02-92 Malta vs Norway  0-0

09-02-05 Malta vs Norway  0-3

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

14-12-94 Malta vs Norway  0-1

07-06-95 Norway vs Malta  2-0

02-06-07 Norway vs Malta  4-0

21-11-07 Malta vs Norway  1-4

10-10-14 Malta vs Norway  0-3

10-10-15 Norway vs Malta  2-0

05-09-19 Norway vs Malta  2-0