National coach Horst Heese would have been over the moon yesterday if not for those deplorable incidents at the end of the match.

Visibly shaken, he said the incidents were a disgrace to the game of football. “We have not been able to celebrate in the way we should have done after this result. It was a magnificent performance by the boys who gave their all from start to finish,” he said.

Heese, who confirmed that he will be departing Malta after his contract with the MFA expires, said the Maltese played well tactically and showed that the Hungary match last Saturday did not affect their physical fitness. “We thought that we could have been hit the same as we were hit by that second goal in Budapest. But this time, my boys fought admirably and believed they could get back on level terms. Near the end we could have also snatched a victory, but a draw is perhaps a fair result,” he said.