National coach Dusan Fitzel was a happy man on Saturday night at Ta' Qali.

After a highly creditable 2-2 draw against mighty Turkey in front of an ecstatic 12,000 home crowd, the coach from the Czech Republic must be fully credited with the revamp which Maltese football at international level is enjoying at present.

In fact, his name was written in bold letters on Saturday night. He now forms part of Malta's football history after having led the side to achieve five points - the highest tally ever in European competitive football.

Yet, Fitzel was ironic when he stated after the match that he was not happy. "I said in midweek that I always wanted to win, that is why I am not happy, because we just got a draw.

"We could have won on Saturday with a little more luck. But everyone could see that we played a good match, never resorting to defensive tactics even if, at times, we were under pressure as the Turks wanted to win at all cost," he said.

Fitzel said Turkey proved to be very tough opponents. But he admitted that his boys had surpassed their abilities. "I know we have our limitations, but it is evident that this team is in good shape and I am very pleased with the great atmosphere which is reigning at present in the squad," he added.

Fitzel then spoke about Armenia and the next Euro 2008 matches. "We next play a friendly match against Armenia on Wednesday and we will still take the match as seriously as we can. After that we have more Euro 2008 qualifiers to play, but we must work match by match."