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Last Wednesday we saw what happens to a team that expects Malta to be an easy place to gain three points. Croatia, who were favourites to qualify for the World Cup, were surprised by Malta when they managed to get a draw late in the second half.
This game was hopefully an example of how Malta are capable of playing good football. It showed that we not only have a stubborn defence but when we attack we can also cause problems for even the best of teams.
Horst Heese seems to have found a good formation in the team and as well has mustered up team spirit which is very important. Yes we are going to have a new coach as Heese is still leaving, but hopefully the new replacement will continue bearing the fruits that Horst Heese has left behind.
As for the fans, we are grateful that the young supporters that come with the football nurseries were on the side of the Millenium Stand and therefore a safe distance from what happened near the end of the game. After talking to some coaches, they had to leave after the final whistle as their transport was waiting for them. They are in high spirits right now and believe the incidents that happened will not effect the kids on watching future games ta Ta Qali.
As for the VIP section, they had to take the punishment of Croatia’s disappointed supporters. We must learn from this and make sure that in any future games that any foreign supporters are kept a far distance from our young supporters. And we must increase security and study how to resolve an incident like this immediately.
The incident could have been worse, but the Maltese in the VIP section acted in the proper way.
It would have been much worse if the objects were thrown at the Maltese fans on the other side of the pitch. As they would not be so tolerant, as we Maltese do not just sit down for such things.
As it should be, the Croatian FA should make good for the damage in one of the toilets and the approximately 600 seats that were destroyed. And this should be a lesson to all other teams that even a small country like Malta should be shown highest respect.
As for the national team, they did a fantastic job and if we had 10 more minutes I believe we could have achieved a win as the Croatian team fell apart after our goal. They believed that they should have had a win given to them on a silver platter, but we showed them otherwise.
And just to make a small note, last week the strong England team with some of the best players in the world lost by one goal to N. Ireland, just a couple of weeks ago in a friendly we drew 1-1 with them and almost won the game. That is something to think about.
sports@newsworksltd.com
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