Jump to content

Malta national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 95.60.53.187 (talk) at 16:34, 20 January 2021 (→‎Records). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Malta
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Knights of Malta, Ħomor (Reds), Falcons
AssociationMalta Football Association
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachDevis Mangia
CaptainMichael Mifsud
Most capsMichael Mifsud (143)
Top scorerMichael Mifsud (42)
Home stadiumTa' Qali Stadium
FIFA codeMLT
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 171 Increase 1 (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest66 (September 1994, September 1995)
Lowest191 (July 2017, September 2017)
First international
 Malta 2–3 Austria 
(Gżira, Malta; 24 February 1957)
Biggest win
 Malta 7–1 Liechtenstein 
(Ta' Qali, Malta; 26 March 2008)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 12–1 Malta 
(Seville, Spain; 21 December 1983)

The Malta national football team (Maltese: Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta) represents Malta in international football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta.

The first official game played by Malta was a 2–3 defeat in a friendly against Austria in 1957.[3] Their competitive debut arrived five years later, playing against Denmark in the preliminary round of the 1964 European Nations' Cup.[4] Since becoming a UEFA member in 1960 and a FIFA member in 1959,[5] Malta have competed in every qualifier for the European Championship and World Cup, without ever making it to the finals of any major international competition.

History

Malta played its first international game on 24 February 1957 at the Empire Stadium, losing 2–3 to Austria. That match was played in front of a capacity crowd at the old Empire Stadium. The Malta Football Association joined FIFA in 1959 and UEFA a year later. However, in late 1959, Malta played in the 1960 Summer Olympics African Qualifiers against Morocco and Tunisia, in which they finished last in the group with two draws and two losses.

The Maltese international side first competed in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA European Nations Cup in 1962, and in FIFA World Cup qualification in 1971.[6] Malta's first competitive draw ended 1–1 against Greece in 1970. Malta's first two competitive wins were victories of 2–0 and 2–1 at home to Greece and Iceland in European Championship qualifiers in 1975 and 1982 respectively. In 1979, Malta drew 0–0 with West Germany in a European championship qualifier and they met again on 16 December 1984 for a memorable World Cup Qualifier in front of a record attendance at the Ta'Qali stadium, where the 1982 & eventual 1986 World Cup runners-up only managed a 2–3 win. Another prestigious result was achieved in March 1987 when Malta drew 2–2 in Portugal, in a qualifier for Euro'88 and the side also twice drew against Hungary during the qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and recorded four friendly wins during 1991 and 1992.[4]

Malta's third competitive win came with a 1–0 victory away to Estonia in a 1993 World Cup qualifier in which Kris Laferla scored.[7] In October 1994 Malta held Czech Republic 0–0 in a qualifier for the UEFA Euro 1996, in which the latter ended runners-up. Six years later, in October 2000, in a group qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup, once again Malta managed another 0–0 draw vs Czech Republic which eventually cost the latter a place at the following major tournament. In June 2000, Malta played England, then managed by Kevin Keegan. Trailing 2–1 going into the final minutes, Malta were awarded a penalty, however David Carabott's effort was saved by Richard Wright.[8] Through November 2001 and May 2002, Malta played and remained undefeated in 6 international matches and in between they won the locally hosted (Rothmans) International Tournament. During 2005, Malta drew 1–1 against Croatia and Bulgaria. Another positive result was the 1–1 home draw in a friendly match against Northern Ireland, though George Mallia missed an injury time penalty which would have given them a win.[9] On 11 October 2006, Malta managed another competitive victory, a 2–1 triumph over Hungary in the European Championship qualifying with André Schembri scoring twice.[7]

On 7 February 2007, Malta drew 1–1 with one of the hosts of Euro 2008, Austria. The game was played to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first international match played by the Maltese national team.[10] On 8 September 2007, Malta managed another draw against Turkey in a Euro 2008 qualifying match, the game finishing 2–2.[11] On 26 March 2008, Malta achieved its largest ever victory, a 7–1 defeat of Liechtenstein in a friendly at the Ta' Qali Stadium, with Michael Mifsud scoring five goals.[12] A 2–0 friendly win over Georgia followed in 2009.[13]

In May 2010, sponsorship of the Maltese national side was taken on by sportswear firm Givova, who also designed a range of new kits for the team.[14] One month later, however, the side had fallen to their lowest ever FIFA world ranking position, of 169th in the world.[13] In 2009, Malta had a 0–0 draw with Albania at home. This was their only point for the 2010 World Cup qualifying. On 11 August 2010, Malta drew 1–1 at home against FYR Macedonia in a friendly game, with Michael Mifsud scoring a brilliant diving header for Malta.[15]

In February 2011, the side achieved a 0–0 draw against Switzerland, in which goalkeeper Justin Haber saved two penalties.[13] On 6 September 2011, Malta won their first Euro 2012 qualifying point, with a 1–1 draw against Georgia. During the years of 2010 and 2011, Malta did not get many positive results, and coach John Buttigieg and assistant coach Carmel Busittil were both sacked in October 2011.[16] For the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Malta won their first World Cup qualifying match in 20 years, nabbing a 1–0 win over Armenia in June 2013.[17] In June 2017, Malta defeated Ukraine 1–0 in a friendly match, thanks to a lone goal by defender Zach Muscat. [18]Malta recorded their 7th all-time competitive win (and their first in the UEFA Nations League) on October 13, 2020, defeating Latvia 1-0 in Riga, scoring the winning goal in the 97th minute.

Coaching staff

As of 9 July 2020[19]
Manager Italy Devis Mangia
Assistant Manager Italy Davide Mazzotta
Assistant Manager Uruguay Guillermo Giacomazzi
Goalkeeping Coach Italy Mario Capece
Physical Trainer Italy Luca Pagani
Sport Scientist Italy Francesco Zanasi

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League fixtures against Andorra and Faroe Islands on 14 and 17 November 2020, respectively. [20]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Henry Bonello (1988-10-13) 13 October 1988 (age 35) 23 0 Malta Valletta
12 1GK Matthew Calleja Cremona (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 29) 0 0 Malta Hibernians
16 1GK Jake Galea (1996-04-15) 15 April 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Malta Sliema Wanderers

2DF Andrei Agius (1986-08-12) 12 August 1986 (age 37) 97 6 Malta Hibernians
4 2DF Steve Borg (1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 (age 26) 56 3 Malta Gżira United
13 2DF Kurt Shaw (1999-04-01) 1 April 1999 (age 25) 6 0 Malta Sliema Wanderers
5 2DF Karl Micallef (1996-09-08) 8 September 1996 (age 27) 2 0 Malta Ħamrun Spartans

11 3MF Rowen Muscat (1991-06-05) 5 June 1991 (age 33) 49 1 Malta Valletta
19 3MF Bjorn Kristensen (1993-04-05) 5 April 1993 (age 31) 25 0 Malta Hibernians
10 3MF Steve Pisani (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 (age 31) 25 0 Malta Balzan
7 3MF Joseph Mbong (1997-07-15) 15 July 1997 (age 26) 23 0 Malta Ħamrun Spartans
8 3MF Jake Grech (1997-11-18) 18 November 1997 (age 26) 14 0 Malta Hibernians
3MF Ryan Camenzuli (1994-09-08) 8 September 1994 (age 29) 10 0 Malta Floriana
6 3MF Matthew Guillaumier (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 (age 26) 8 1 Malta Birkirkara
23 3MF Tristan Caruana (1991-09-15) 15 September 1991 (age 32) 4 1 Malta Valletta
3MF Teddy Teuma (1993-09-30) 30 September 1993 (age 30) 6 0 Belgium Union SG
15 3MF Juan Carlos Corbalan (1997-03-03) 3 March 1997 (age 27) 12 1 Malta Ħamrun Spartans

20 4FW Luke Gambin (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 (age 31) 28 0 England Colchester United
14 4FW Kyrian Nwoko (1997-07-04) 4 July 1997 (age 26) 17 3 Malta Valletta
18 4FW Jurgen Degabriele (1996-10-10) 10 October 1996 (age 27) 8 2 Malta Hibernians
9 4FW Luke Montebello (1995-08-13) 13 August 1995 (age 28) 8 0 Malta Birkirkara
21 4FW Shaun Dimech (2001-08-08) 8 August 2001 (age 22) 4 1 Malta Valletta
17 4FW Alexander Satariano (2001-10-25) 25 October 2001 (age 22) 3 0 Malta Sliema Wanderers

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Rashed Al-Tumi (2000-10-14) 14 October 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Italy Arzachena return-to-activity programme, 5 July 2020
GK Justin Haber (1981-06-09) 9 June 1981 (age 43) 54 0 Malta Gżira United v.  Norway, 18 November 2019

DF Jean Borg (PRE) (1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 (age 26) 3 0 Malta Valletta
DF Zach Muscat (WD) (1993-08-22) 22 August 1993 (age 30) 43 1 Portugal Casa Pia
DF Enrico Pepe (1989-11-12) 12 November 1989 (age 34) 1 0 Malta Birkirkara
DF Ferdinando Apap (1992-07-29) 29 July 1992 (age 31) 6 0 Malta Hibernians v.  Latvia, 6 September 2020
DF Jonathan Caruana (1986-07-24) 24 July 1986 (age 37) 44 2 Malta Valletta v.  Norway, 18 November 2019
DF Joseph Zerafa (1988-05-31) 31 May 1988 (age 36) 35 0 Malta Valletta v.  Norway, 18 November 2019
DF Jurgen Pisani (1992-09-03) 3 September 1992 (age 31) 1 0 Malta Floriana v.  Norway, 18 November 2019

MF Neil Tabone (1997-10-01) 1 October 1997 (age 26) 1 0 Malta Zejtun Corinthians v.  Andorra, 14 November 2020
MF Myles Beerman (PRE) (1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Malta Hibernians
MF Samir Arab (1994-03-25) 25 March 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Malta Balzan
MF Cain Attard (1994-09-10) 10 September 1994 (age 29) 6 0 Malta Birkirkara
MF Joe Muscatt (1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 (age 26) 1 0 Germany SC Paderborn 07 II v.  Gibraltar, 7 October 2020
MF Dunstan Vella (1996-04-27) 27 April 1996 (age 28) 7 0 Malta Hibernians return-to-activity programme, 5 July 2020
MF Yannick Yankam (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 26) 0 0 Malta Birkirkara return-to-activity programme, 5 July 2020
MF Zach Scerri (1996-03-08) 8 March 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Malta Gżira United return-to-activity programme, 5 July 2020
MF Paul Fenech (1986-12-20) 20 December 1986 (age 37) 60 2 Malta Balzan v.  Norway, 18 November 2019
MF Nikolai Muscat (1996-07-13) 13 July 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Malta Gżira United v.  Norway, 18 November 2019
MF Brandon Paiber (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Malta Floriana v.  Norway, 18 November 2019

FW Jean Paul Farrugia (1992-03-21) 21 March 1992 (age 32) 17 2 Malta Sliema Wanderers v.  Andorra, 14 November 2020
FW Aidan Friggieri (PRE) (1998-04-28) 28 April 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Malta Gudja United
FW Jan Busuttil (PRE) (1999-03-06) 6 March 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Malta Floriana
FW Michael Mifsud (RET) (1981-04-17) 17 April 1981 (age 43) 143 42 Malta Birkirkara
FW Paul Mbong (2001-09-02) 2 September 2001 (age 22) 4 0 Malta Birkirkara
FW Mario Fontanella (1989-06-28) 28 June 1989 (age 34) 0 0 Malta Valletta return-to-activity programme, 5 July 2020

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad / standby
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2019

15 November UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Spain  7–0  Malta Cádiz, Spain
20:45 (UTC+1) Morata 23'
Cazorla 41'
Torres 62'
Sarabia 63'
Olmo 69'
Moreno 71'
Navas 85'
Report Stadium: Ramón de Carranza
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
18 November UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Malta  1–2  Norway Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 (UTC+1) Fenech 40' Report King 7'
Sørloth 62'
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)

2020

26 March Friendly Malta  cancelled  Gibraltar Ta' Qali, Malta
19:00 Stadium: National Stadium
TBD Friendly Malta  cancelled  Slovenia
Report
TBD Friendly Portugal  cancelled  Malta
Report
3 September 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Faroe Islands  3–2  Malta Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
19:45 Report
Stadium: Tórsvøllur
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ádám Farkas (Hungary)
6 September 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Malta  1–1  Latvia Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
Report Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)
7 October Friendly Malta  2–0  Gibraltar Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45
Report Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Nikola Popov (Bulgaria)
10 October 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Andorra  0–0  Malta Andorra la Vella, Andorra
20:45 Report Stadium: Estadi Nacional
Referee: Alain Durieux (Luxembourg)
13 October 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Latvia  0–1  Malta Riga, Latvia
18:00 Report
Stadium: Daugava Stadium
Referee: Iwan Arwel Griffith (Wales)
11 November Friendly Malta  3–0  Liechtenstein Ta' Qali, Malta
19:45
Report Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)
14 November 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Malta  3–1  Andorra Ta' Qali, Malta
15:00
Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Peter Kralović (Slovakia)
17 November 2020–21 UEFA Nations League Malta  1–1  Faroe Islands Ta' Qali, Malta
20:45 Report Stadium: National Stadium
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kristo Tohver (Estonia)

2021

Records

As of 18 November 2019[21]
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 6 0 0 6 1 20
Argentina 1978 6 0 0 6 0 27
Spain 1982 4 0 0 4 2 15
Mexico 1986 8 0 1 7 6 25
Italy 1990 8 0 2 6 3 18
United States 1994 10 1 1 8 3 23
France 1998 10 0 0 10 2 37
South Korea Japan 2002 10 0 1 9 4 24
Germany 2006 10 0 3 7 4 32
South Africa 2010 10 0 1 9 0 26
Brazil 2014 10 1 0 9 5 28
Russia 2018 10 0 1 9 3 25
Qatar 2022 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total 0/21 102 2 10 90 33 300

UEFA European Football Championship

UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Not a UEFA member Not a UEFA member
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 9
Italy 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Belgium 1972 Did not qualify 6 0 1 5 2 16
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 1 0 5 2 20
Italy 1980 6 0 1 5 2 21
France 1984 8 1 0 7 5 37
West Germany 1988 8 0 2 6 4 21
Sweden 1992 8 0 2 6 2 23
England 1996 10 0 2 8 2 22
Belgium Netherlands 2000 8 0 0 8 6 27
Portugal 2004 8 0 1 7 5 24
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 1 2 9 10 31
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 0 1 9 4 21
France 2016 10 0 2 8 3 16
Europe 2020 10 1 0 9 3 27
Germany 2024 To be determined 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0/16 106 4 14 94 52 315

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Group Round Position Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 D 3 Group stage 4th 6 0 3 3 5 14 Same position 54th
2020–21 D 1 Group stage 2nd 6 2 3 1 8 6 Same position 52nd
2022–23 D TBA To be determined
Total Group stage 2/2 12 2 6 4 13 20 52nd

Mediterranean Games record

Mediterranean Games record
Year Round GP W D L GS GA
Egypt 1951 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Spain 1955 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lebanon 1959 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Italy 1963 - 4 0 0 4 4 18
Tunisia 1967 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Turkey 1971 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Algeria1975 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Morocco 1983 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
Syria 1987 - 0 0 0 0 0 0
1991 – present See Malta national under-20 team
Total 1/10 4 0 0 4 4 18

Other records

Year Position
Tunisia 7th November Cup 1993 3rd
Total 0 title

All-time team record

As of 18 November 2019 after match against the  Norway[22]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

  1. ^ Includes matches against  Czechoslovakia.
  2. ^ Includes matches against  West Germany.

Managers

Managerial history

As of 14 October 2018
Manager Malta career Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
Malta Joe A. Griffiths 1957–1961 6 2 2 2 033.3
Malta Carm Borg 1961–1964 9 0 2 7 000.0
Hungary Janos Bedl 1966 2 2 0 0 100.0
Malta Tony Formosa[1] 1966 10 1 1 8 010.0
Malta Joseph Attard 1969 1 0 0 1 000.0
Malta Saviour Cuschieri 1970 1 0 1 0 000.0
Malta Victor Scerri 1973 2 1 0 1 050.0
Italy Terrenzio Polverini 1974–1976 9 1 2 6 011.1
Malta John Calleja 1976–1978 11 2 1 8 018.2
Malta Victor Scerri 1978–1983 26 3 3 20 011.5
Bulgaria Guentcho Dobrev 1984–1987 21 1 4 16 004.8
Germany Horst Heese 1988–1991 36 3 8 25 008.3
Malta Pippo Psaila 1991–1993 17 5 4 8 029.4
Italy Pietro Ghedin 1993–1995 24 4 5 15 016.7
Malta Robert Gatt 1996 3 0 1 2 000.0
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Kosanović 1996–1997 15 0 2 13 000.0
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Josif Ilić 1997–2001 41 5 4 32 012.2
Germany Sigfried Held 2001–2003 21 4 5 12 019.0
Germany Horst Heese[2] 2003–2006 15 1 2 12 006.7
Czech Republic Dušan Fitzel[2] 2006–2009 34 3 4 27 008.8
Malta John Buttigieg[2] 2009–2011 21 2 3 16 009.5
Malta Robert Gatt[3] 2012 1 1 0 0 100.0
Italy Pietro Ghedin 2012–2017 48 7 6 35 014.6
Belgium Tom Saintfiet 2017–2018 3 0 0 3 000.0
Malta Ray Farrugia 2018–2019 18 1 4 13 005.6
Italy Devis Mangia[23] 2019– 8 4 3 1 050.0
  1. ^ 1 match with Janos Bedl
  2. ^ a b c assisted by Carmel Busuttil
  3. ^ managed the team on a one-off basis as caretaker manager

FIFA ranking

Rank Date
Worst Ever Rank 191[13] July 2017, September 2017
Best Ever Rank 66 September 1994, September 1995
Current Rank 176 November 2020

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  3. ^ Baldacchino, Carmel (6 February 2007). "Malta's late rally thrills home crowd on debut". Times of Malta. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "National Team All Time Results". Malta Football Association. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Member associations – Malta". UEFA. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  6. ^ "History of the Malta Football Association". Malta Football Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  7. ^ a b Brincat, Henry (15 October 2006). "Malta 2–1 Hungary". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Malta v England: Clockwatch". BBC. 3 June 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Malta 1–1 Northern Ireland". BBC. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Malta to play Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria on 30 May". The Malta Independent. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  11. ^ Huggins, Trevor (9 September 2007). "England notch easy win against Israel". Reuters UK.
  12. ^ "Five-goal Mifsud inspires Malta to massive win". The Times of Malta. 27 March 2008.
  13. ^ a b c d "Malta make ground from Swiss denial". fifa.com. 7 April 2011.
  14. ^ "High-profile friendly a useful test – Buttigieg". The Times of Malta. 11 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Malta-Macedonia draw 1–1". The Times of Malta. 11 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Malta fires national coach John Buttigieg". ESPN. 26 October 2011.
  17. ^ Azzopardi, Kevin (7 June 2013). "Resilient Malta stun Armenia". Times of Malta.
  18. ^ "Friendly match: Malta obtains encouraging win against Ukraine". The Malta Independent. 6 June 2017.
  19. ^ "Capece and Zanasi join national team's coaching staff". Malta Football Association. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Malta senior squad update". Malta Football Association. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  21. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Malta – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  22. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Malta". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Devis Mangia appointed national teams' head coach". Times of Malta. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.

External links