The Maltese national football team has finally made it.

It earned a well-deserved point against Georgia, the first in this Euro 2012 qualifying stage. After being so close against Greece, when a last gasp goal condemned the Reds to a heart-breaking defeat, John Buttigieg’s boys held firm right till the end to grab a draw.

That Malta fell behind in the first quarter of the match, but managed to recover the deficit with a splendid goal by Michael Mifsud, adds to the importance of the result. Often, when Malta succumbs to the first goal, the team fails to react and there have been several occasions when our adversaries added a second, a third and more.

This time, Malta were unfazed by the goal received and deservedly struck back within a few minutes, and then held on to the result till the end. If any football star like Messi or Ronaldo had scored a goal similar to the one netted by Mifsud, we would have repeatedly seen it on television as an example of how a striker could beat a defender with one touch before hitting the ball home. And, to add to Mifsud’s credit, the defender he overcame was Georgia’s most famous and experienced player, Kaladze.

But it would be wrong to single out Mifsud. Certainly, he was Malta’s hero with that goal – which followed the one he scored against Croatia four days before in a match Malta lost 1-3 – but the rest of the squad must be applauded for the spirited display they showed from start to finish.

The team appeared in good physical shape, but what impressed the most was the way the Maltese players never seemed in great difficulty. There have been several games in which the Maltese players were pushed back in their own half for long stretches, but against the Georgians there was cohesion between all departments and no balls were wasted.

Such a positive result – which is always a rare and tough achievement for the Maltese national team – should serve as a big morale booster. Malta can never be in a position to compete for the top places, but it can certainly make it harder for more-quoted opponents.

Other small nations have made great strides forward in recent years. With more dedication, physical preparation and, yes, a dose of luck, the national team can give some satisfaction to the local sporting nation.