The Maltese national team was one minute away from obtaining what would have been a deserved draw against Greece in a qualifying match for the Euro 2012 championships.

Last Saturday, the boys in red played exceptionally well against a team that is aiming to be among the top 16 in Europe, but they were not rewarded for their efforts as that last-gasp goal broke their hearts – and that of all Maltese supporters at Ta’ Qali or in front of the television set.

It is quite unusual for Malta to play so well against mightier opponents. There have been many games in which Malta were constantly under pressure for all the 90 minutes. There have been others when Malta succumbed to heavy defeats, especially in away games.

But last Saturday John Buttigieg’s boys were at par with their more illustrious adversaries – Greece were crowned European champions in 2004 – and there were occasions when they could have gone ahead too. They created a handful of chances that they could have taken better.

The Greek coach was mumbling to himself and scratching his head several times because he could not believe what was happening; it was a pity that he ultimately had the last laugh, although he must have been angry with his squad for the poor way they played.

Greece were far from being dominant; the chances they created were few and far between and, the couple of times they went close they found Justin Haber in great form. But it would be wrong to pinpoint just one player – because all the players on the field gave their 100% and more.

What was good to note was that the attendance at the national stadium was quite substantial, and this shows that the Maltese still back their national team in spite of the poor results that have been obtained of late.

A draw against Greece would have been a great morale-booster for a side that has not won any points in competitive matches for ages. But it was not to be and, although the performance will be remembered for years to come, it is the 0-1 result that will go down in the history books.