Maltese journalists praised the national team for a good game against Ukraine. Some of them pointed out the fact that Malta was not afraid to play attacking football (as much as it could do in a match against a strong opponent) and created enough chances to expect a more positive outcome. They also complain about the luck that turned away from the team in many episodes of this match. Local journalists praised the coaching staff for making a decent team out of these players and believe that the fans should not be ashamed of such a team.
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"A terrible loss for Malta," One's journalist believes the final result of the match was unfair to the home side, who deserved to draw at least. But even after the defeat, the team has much to praise.
"The positive play, especially in the first half, was not enough for the Maltese national team, as they were defeated by Ukraine 1-3, which can be considered a bad result for the Maltese. Thus, Ukraine is in second place in the group after Italy lost to England with a score of 1-3. The Maltese looked very good from a tactical point of view in every area of the pitch, but unfortunately they failed to draw at least.
The Maltese opened the scoring in the first dangerous moment they created in the 12th minute, when Matthew Guillomier passed well to Kirian Nwoko, who gave a very fine pass to Paul Mbong, who struck a strong shot from the edge of the box. Trubin did not have time to react properly to the shot - 1-0.
The Ukrainians created several not particularly dangerous chances, but continued to press. All the while, the Ukrainians' dominance continued, and in the 39th minute they equalised when Sudakov struck a weak shot that seemed destined to end in an out, but unfortunately for Ryan Kamenzula, the ball rolled off his foot and into the goal. An unfortunate moment and an own goal - 1:1.
The Ukrainians earned a penalty in the 42nd minute when Joseph Mbong brought down Mudryk in the penalty area. Artem Dovbyk took charge and made no mistake, the ball went under Bonello.
But the Maltese did not throw in the towel, on the contrary, they reacted well and in the 45th minute, just before the end of the first half, Matthew Guillomier's powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area hit the crossbar. A few moments later, Mudryk took a shot, but Bonello bravely put it out for a corner.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Maltese were very aggressive in their attempt to equalise, and in the 54th minute, Paul Mbonga's free-kick was easily saved by the Ukrainian goalkeeper. The Maltese continued to show a beautiful game, and in the 61st minute Joseph Mbong tried his luck with a strong low shot from the edge of the penalty area, which was not very well saved by Trubin, but the Ukrainian defence was ready for it and successfully knocked the ball out. The Ukrainians responded in the 70th minute with a shot by Mudryk from outside the penalty area, which Bonello skilfully put out for a corner.
Malta again created a danger five minutes later when Joseph Mbong hit a long-range shot, but it went over the top.
Alas, it was the Ukrainians who sealed the victory with a third goal in the 85th minute when Mykhailo Mudryk outpaced substitute Kane Attard and hit a long-range shot that left Bonello no chance, and the ball ended up in the corner of the net. Defeat 1-3, despite Malta's good performance."
Talk
"Malta deserved better" - the Talk website journalist considers the result of the match unfair for the home team, who played a good game and created several dangerous chances. In his opinion, if luck had been on Malta's side that night, rather than Ukraine's, Marcolini's team would not have lost.
"Malta was defeated by Ukraine with a score of 1-3, and the result does not correspond to what was happening on the pitch, because there were moments when we were better than our opponents... but fortune was smiling on the Ukrainians that day.
The Maltese opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Nwoko passed to Paul Mbonga, who advanced and hit a strong shot from below that seemed to surprise goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who did not react.
The Ukrainians were desperate to equalise, but their attacks were not dangerous, and their actions were rather chaotic and hasty. Things could have been different if Kamenzuli hadn't scored an own goal when he slipped in an attempt to kick the ball, which miraculously found its way into the net.
In the 42nd minute, the Ukrainians earned a penalty when Dzozhef Mbong brought down Mudryk in the penalty area. Dovbyk took a poorly taken shot, but beat Bonello as the ball passed under his hands.
The Maltese reacted and could have levelled the score, but they were unlucky again when Paul Mbong passed to Guillomier, who hit the crossbar from the penalty spot. Trubin just followed the ball with his eyes, not having time to react to the shot.
The Maltese were very aggressive in the second half, and in the 47th minute Paul Mbonga's shot from the penalty spot was saved by Anatoliy Trubin. The Maltese continued to attack and shoot on goal, but it was the Ukrainians who scored the last goal of the match. Mudryk easily escaped from the defender and scored in the far corner. Bonello was powerless. Ukraine won 3-1. Unfortunately, Malta was unable to draw at least, although they played as well as their opponent".
Times of Malta
"Malta's players responded to critics with a brilliant performance despite defeat by Ukraine" - the Times of Malta journalist believes that fans and experts are unfairly criticising the team that lost all the matches in this qualifying tournament. Despite the defeats, Malta demonstrates a brilliant football that fans should like.
"Last night, the Maltese players experienced first-hand how tough football can be after they played their best game in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but still suffered a heavy 1-3 defeat against Ukraine at the National Stadium.
Coming into the match on the back of a disappointing 0-4 loss to Italy at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, few expected the Maltese players to be able to actually compete on equal terms with a Ukrainian team fighting for second place in the standings and a place in next year's European Championship.
But the home side responded correctly to the barrage of criticism they received after the match against Italy, showing a good attacking game that made several thousand Maltese fans speak of disappointment after the final whistle. This is exactly the case when the result does not mean that the team played badly. On the contrary, Malta played so well that they deserved to be applauded despite the defeat. In fact, the Maltese decided to take a chance and play attacking football, and their adventurous approach was rewarded with a great debut by Paul Mbonga.
The Ukrainians looked stunned, and despite their attempts to equalise, they were thwarted by the home side, who showed a hard-working game that closed all avenues for their opponents.
Luck ran out for the Maltese shortly before half-time when they conceded two hurtful goals in three minutes, the first of which was the result of a very unfortunate shot by Ryan Kamenzula in his own net. But this double setback did not discourage the Maltese players, who continued to strive to equalise and hit the crossbar.
In the second half, Malta continued to attack and seemed to be able to save the match. If not for an amazing goal by Mudryk. Mikhail broke away from his opponents and shot into the far corner. No chance for the goalkeeper. It must have been a moment of magic on the part of the Chelsea star, which brought important points to the Ukrainians, who moved to second place in the group after Italy's defeat by England at Wembley Stadium.
Nevertheless, the Maltese players left the pitch with their heads held high and no doubt they have certainly given new hope to the Maltese fans that this team can continue to grow in their performances with a view to securing a historic promotion to the Nations League next year."
Anton Prokopov
