Malta suffered their second defeat in their group match for the Slovakia Cup. Yesterday they went down 3-1 to the United States.

Our opponents, who had previously figured in a 2-2 draw with Hungary, were a stronger outfit and took a reassuring three-goal lead.

But Malta's efforts to keep fighting till the end were rewarded when John Mintoff reduced the arrears.

The Maltese lost their first match 1-0 against Slovakia on Monday. The last group match will be against Hungary tomorrow.