Malta in narrow defeat against Italy

Once again Malta put in an assured performance in a narrow 1-0 defeat against Italy in Florence in the Euro 2016 qualifier.

The game ended in an identical score to the first match played in Malta in October 2014, and it took Italy almost 70 minutes to score.  

Despite the loss, Malta played with confidence and composure which frustrated the technically superior Italian players for most of the match.

With the scores level for much of the match and Italy threatened by the incursions of the pacey Alfred Effiong, the four-time World champions struggled to gain control before edging ahead.

The dangerous Graziano Pelle broke the deadlock with a somewhat fortuitous deflection off his arm from a cross by substitute Antonio Candreva.

Following the goal, Italy controlled the game and succeeded in dominating possession, gaining a crucial three points to go level with Croatia at the top of Group H.