Malta yesterday beat Maldives 3-2 in its final Group N (fourth division) qualifying match.

It was a close affair with David Pace clinching full points with a 3-0 victory over Ahmed Sharufan in the final encounter.

It had started on a top note for Malta as Edward Baldacchino beat Sharufan 3-1 to give Malta the lead. Then MM Musnif beat David Pace 3-2. And Mohamed Yasik defeated Mario Genovese 3-1 for Maldives to take a 2-1 lead.

But then, the Maltese were back in the game as Edward Baldacchino forced the decider with a 3-2 win over MM Musnif.

Baldacchino had to fight hard for his win

(5-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5 and 11-9).

In earlier matches, Malta had beaten Sierra Leone 3-0 and lost to Jamaica (3-1), Qatar

(3-0) and Montenegro (3-2).

These results saw the Maltese finish fourth in the Group. Qatar won the group on maximum points – 10 – having won all their five matches. Jamaica followed on nine points, Montenegro eight, Malta seven, Sierra Leone six and Maldives five.