England Football Online
  Page Last Updated 29 September 2015

Malta

 

 
767 vs. Ukraine
768
769 vs. Portugal
770 vs. Germany
771 vs. Romania

Saturday, 3 June 2000
Malta F.A. Centenary Celebration Match

Malta 1 England 2 [1-1]
 

Stadium Nazzjonali, Ħ'Attard, Ħ'Attard
Attendance:
10,023/611;
Kick-off: 4.00pm local, BST

England - Martin Keown (22), Emile Heskey (75)
Malta - David Car
abott (retaken penalty hit post 28) (penalty saved 88)
Malta - Richard Wright (own goal from a Carabott penalty 28)
Match Summary
Malta Squad
England Squad
Malta - David Carabott, Daniel Theuma.
Results 1995-2000

? kicked-off. ? minutes (? & ?).

 

Match Summary

Officials from Italy

Malta

Type

England

Referee (charcoal) - Stefano Braschi
42 (6 June 1957), FIFA-listed 1992.

Assistant Referees - tbc

Fourth Official - tbc
  Goal Attempts  
  Attempts on Target  
  Hit Bar/Post  
  Corner Kicks Won  
  Offside Calls Against  
  Fouls Conceded  
  Possession  

Malta Team

 

Rank:

FIFA (10 May 2000) 118th
EFO ranking

ELO rating 153rd
Colours: Made by Kronos - Red collared jerseys with red collar/cuffs and white sleeve trim, white shorts with red side trim, red socks.
Capt: Carmel Busuttil Manager: Josif Ilic, 49 (31 August 1950), appointed 22 July 1997.
Malta Lineup
1 Barry, Ernest, off 90th min. 32 1 July 1967 G Sliema Wanderers FC - GA
2 Said, Brian, off 77th min. 27 15 May 1973 LB Floriana FC - -
3 Spiteri, Michael, off 77th min. 31 25 February 1969 LM Hibernians FC - -
4 Vella, Silvio, off 40th min. 33 8 February 1967 CM Hibernians FC 90 1
5 Debono, Darren, off 33rd min. 26 9 January 1974 RB Valletta FC - -
6 Buttigieg, John, off 54th min. 36 5 October 1963 CD Valletta FC 95 1
7 Busuttil, Carmel, off 46th min. 36 29 February 1964 AM Sliema Wanderers FC 103 23
8
Carabott, David, off 90+1st min. 31 18 June 1968 RM Hibernians FC 92 9
9 Turner, Noel, off 86th min. 25 9 December 1974 CM Sliema Wanderers FC - -
10 Brincat, Joseph, off 82nd min. 30 5 March 1970 CM Birkirkara FC 85 5
11 Agius, Gilbert, off 60th min. 26 21 February 1974 CF Valletta FC - -
Malta Substitutes
17 Camilleri, David, on 33rd min. for Debono 25 21 August 1974 RB Sliema Wanderers FC - -
15 Theuma, Daniel, on 40th min. for Vella 28 29 June 1971 CM Valletta FC - -
20 Nwoko, Chucks K., on 46th min. for Busuttil 21 21 November 1978 AM Birkirkara FC - -
14 Chetcuti, Jeffrey, off  54th min. for Buttigieg 26 22 April 1974 CD Valletta FC - -
21 Mallia, George, on 60th min. for Agius 21 10 October 1978 CF Floriana FC - -
13 Okonkwo, Digger Ifeanyi, on 77th min. for Said 22 30 August 1977 LB Naxxar Lions FC - -
16 Dimech, Luke, on 77th min. for Spiteri 23 11 January 1977 LM Sliema Wanderers FC - -
19 Holland, Jonathan, on 82nd min. for Brincat 21 15 July 1978 CM Floriana FC - -
22 Veselji, Nenad, on 86th min. for Turner 29 3 February 1971 CM Valletta FC - -
12 Muscat, Mario, on 90th min. for Barry 23 18 August 1976 G Hibernians FC - -
18 Ciantar, Adrian, on 90+1st min for Carabott 21 9 August 1978 RM Hibernians FC - -

unused substitutes:

all named substitutes were used
 

3-5-1-1

Barry (Muscat) -
Debono (Camilleri), Buttigieg
(Chetcuti)
, Said (Okonkwo) -
Carabott (Ciantor), Brincat
(Holland)
, Vella (Theuma), Turner (Veselji), Spiteri (Dimech) -
Busuttil
(Nwoko)
-
Agius (Mallia) -

Averages:

Age - Appearances/Goals - -

 

England Team

 

Rank:

FIFA (10 May 2000) 12th
EFO ranking

ELO rating 9th to 10th
Colours: The 1999 Umbro home uniform - White shadow horizontal striped crew neck jersey with navy collar/cuffs, white Umbro sleeves trim, navy shorts with navy Umbro side trim, white socks with navy pintrim.
Capt: Alan Shearer, 31st captaincy.
Sol Campbell 50th min.
Head Coach: Joseph Kevin Keegan OBE, 49 (14 February 1951), appointed as caretaker coach 17 February 1999, full-time 14 May 1999.
13th match, W 6 - D 6 - L 1 - F 20 - A 7.
England Lineup
1 Wright, Richard I. 22 5 November 1977 G Ipswich Town FC 1 1 GA
2 Neville, Gary A. 25 18 February 1975 RB Manchester United FC 36 0
3 Neville, Philip J. 23 21 January 1977 LB Manchester United FC 26 0
4 Wise, Dennis F., off 68th min. 33 16 December 1966 M Chelsea FC 16 1
5 Campbell, Sulzeer J. 25 18 September 1974 CD Tottenham Hotspur FC 33 2
6 Keown, Martin R., off 57th min. 33 24 July 1966 CD Arsenal FC 30 2
7 Beckham, David R.J., off 79th min. 25 2 May 1975 M Manchester United FC 31 1
8 Scholes, Paul, off 68th min. 25 16 November 1974 M Manchester United FC 24 9
9 Shearer, Alan, injured off 50th min. 29 13 August 1970 F Newcastle United 60 28
10 Phillips, Kevin M., off 68th min. 26 25 July 1973 F Sunderland AFC 5 0
11 Barmby, Nicholas J. 26 11 February 1974 M Everton FC 13 3
England Substitutes
17 Heskey, Emile W.I., on 50th min. for Shearer 22 11 January 1978 F Liverpool FC 7 1
12 Southgate, Gareth, on 57th min. for Keown 29 3 September 1970 D Aston Villa FC 36 1
18 Fowler, Robert B., on 68th min. for Phillips 25 9 April 1975 F Leeds United AFC 14 3
15 Ince, Paul E.C., on 68th min. for Scholes 32 21 October 1967 M Middlesbrough FC 50 2
16 McManaman, Steven, on 68th min. for Wise 28 11 February 1972 M

Real Madrid CF, Spain

28 2
14 Barry, Gareth, on 79th min. for Beckham. 19 23 February 1981 D Aston Villa FC 2 0

unused substitutes:

13- Nigel Martyn, 19-Michael Owen.

team notes:

Not since Eddie Hopkinson in November 1957 has a 22 year old faced a penalty kick. Hopkinson is still the youngest to do so, by 103 days.
 

4-4-2

Seaman -
G Neville, Keown (Southgate), Campbell, P Neville -
Beckham
(Barry), Barmby, Scholes (Ince), Wise (McManaman) -
Phillips
(Fowler), Shearer (Heskey).

Averages:

Age 26.5 Appearances/Goals - -

 

    Match Report by Mike Payne

 

Source Notes

Emile Heskey's first international goal was enough to give England a deserved if uninspired win in the heat of the Mediterranean - but it took two late saves from debutant Richard Wright to seal the win.  Having already conceded a first-half penalty, Wright gave away a second spot-kick at the death but made a sprawling stop before blocking an even better chance seconds before the final whistle.  Despite dominating possession, Kevin Keegan's men were unable to end their Euro 2000 build-up with a confidence-boosting sackful of goals.  Scholes, Campbell, Ince and Heskey all spurned good chances as Malta, with a team made up mainly of part-timers, tired in the afternoon heat.  Heskey side-footed home the winner on 76 minutes after excellent work from Barmby left him with an open goal five yards out.  In their last competitive game before Euro 2000, England had taken the lead from that most obvious yet dangerous of sources, a Beckham free-kick from the right.

With the Maltese defence in disarray, Keown stooped unmarked to head in at the far post. Barmby, looking lively throughout, came close to making it two moments later. Gary Neville overlapped down the right and looped in a cross that the Everton midfielder put too close to the keeper.  Then, to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd, Malta were level.  Wright came tentatively to meet a long through-ball, flapped, and only succeeded in bringing Carabott down.  Carabott dusted himself off, scored, was ordered to retake and duly dispatched the ball again - albeit off the post and the back of Wright's head.

After his diamond of a cameo against Ukraine, Barmby again did his case for inclusion on the left of midfield a power of good.  Always looking to switch with Wise in the centre, his movement created space against a team who frequently put eleven men behind the ball.  Under such conditions, Barmby's ability to spot a late run and slip a pass through became even more valuable. Only a stretch and tipover from keeper Barry denied him a goal after a clever chip midway through the second half.  In February, Barmby was nowhere near the England squad. Now, having arrived with a vengeance, he is close to guaranteeing himself a place in Keegan's starting eleven.  More worryingly for England, the centre-back pairing of Keown and Campbell looked anything but solid.

The intelligent running of Busuttil caught them out on a number of occasions, which raises concerns about what the rather more experienced Luis Figo could do when England meet Portugal in nine days time.  Kevin Keegan would have learnt little else from this Malteaser he did not already know. Kevin Phillips had that slightly desperate look of all fringe players who have been left precious little time to impress.  He ran hard and won himself a couple of half-chances but was unable to break his international duck, and must now fear he sits behind the Shearer, Owen, Heskey and Fowler in the Euro 2000 pecking-order.

TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Official teamsheet
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
____________________

CG