As usual, none of the three Maltese clubs participating in the UEFA competitions made it to the real Champions League and Europa League competitions. They were all eliminated in the preliminary round stages.
But there was a difference in the way it all happened. While champions Valletta managed to make it through the first preliminary stage of the Champions League before being eliminated in the second round, and Birkirkara were beaten by an aggregate of just one goal in the first round of the Europa League, the third Maltese club which took part – Floriana – were beaten in a humiliating fashion.
Valletta’s ambitions were to be the first Maltese club to make it through to the third preliminary stage of the Champions League. Their first encounter, against San Marino’s Tre Fiori, saw them qualify with relative ease with a 0-3 away victory which was followed up by a 2-1 win at home.
But the second round hurdle proved to be too difficult for the Citizens, especially after succumbing to a 2-3 home defeat against Ekranas which they could not overturn in the second leg. Their dream was shattered but Valletta bowed out with pride.
The same goes to Birkirkara who, like Valletta, lost their hopes after a narrow home defeat in the first leg of the Europa League. Their determination and fight-back was not enough in the second leg, as their 1-1 away draw against Vllaznia was not enough. Still, the Stripes’ result was nothing to be ashamed of.
If both Valletta and Birkirkara had been more attentive in their home games, they would have stood a better chance of making it through, seeing the results they obtained in their away encounters.
Conversely, Floriana’s return to European competition was marred by a downright humiliating home defeat against AEK Larnaca. The Greens succumbed to a heavy 0-8 home defeat in the first leg, one of the worst results ever obtained on home soil by a Maltese club. It had been years since a Maltese club was humbled in such a way – but whereas in the past such devastating results used to be obtained against the powerhouses of European football, this time it happened against a Cypriot side.
It is a great pity that Maltese football, through Floriana, was once again the laughing stock. It is hoped that the Greens will learn the lesson. That they lost their second leg match only 1-0 did little to dampen the disappointment of their earlier defeat.