Last Friday’s victory in Yerevan against Armenia was a very big satisfaction for all those connected with football in Malta.

The MFA administration, the coach, the technical staff, the players, the fans and why not, even the press, must be more than happy and satisfied with the win.

It was something which we were all eagerly awaiting. It had to come almost exactly 20 years after our historic first win in Tallinn, against Estonia, in another World Cup match. That was a similar win with a solitary goal scored by Kristian Laferla.

On that occasion, I was also lucky to have been present to witness that first glorious moment for Maltese football away from our shores. The same happened on Friday with the win reviving a bit of my memories of that fantastic moment.

Then it was Pippo Psaila who led the team to glory. Today we have the affable Pietro Ghedin, an Italian who is winning the sympathy of one and all.

Since he took over the reins of the side in June of last year, Ghedin has worked hard to see an improvement in the standard of our national team players.His technical staff gave him all the support he required and last Friday’s win was the result of their sheer determination to put Maltese football a step ahead than the level seen in recent years.

This was not just a victory away from home. It was, of course, a competitive match and this makes the result even more satisfactory as it should help the team gain some much needed points to move up the FIFA world rankings. There were, in fact, three other wins under Ghedin, all away, in the friendlies against Luxembourg, San Marino and Liechtenstein.

This win against Armenia, however, was the cherry on the cake, as Ghedin himself told me at the end of Friday’s match.

I am glad for him, his technical staff and the players. They went through a lot of sacrifices and did everything within their possibilities to get where they wished to be.

But, as the Italian coach said, there is still a lot of work to be done. The win and the three points should serve as further motivation for the matches still to be played in this qualifying group, starting with Bulgaria and Denmark at Ta’ Qali in September.

We must certainly keep our feet to the ground. It is common knowledge, in fact, that our next two opponents possess superior quality than the Armenians, even if the latter also showed they were a strong side.

To keep on the right track, our players need to continue showing determination and commitment both in their preparations as well as on the field of play whenever they play for their club or for the national team.

Ghedin was full of praise for his players on Friday night. It was evident that he was glad to see them repaying him for having given them his confidence.

Well done to all involved. I am sure this was the right tonic our football needed at present. A pity that it had to come at the end of the season. But I am sure such glorious moments will never be forgotten.