Ħamrun Spartans captain Henry Bonello hailed his team’s character and intensity as the Malta champions secured an historic qualification to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after knocking out FK Zalgiris in a penalty shoot-out on Tuesday.
It was a night of trepidation, emotions, and finally joy for the Ħamrun Spartans fans that thronged the Centenary Stadium and saw their players manage to cancel a two-goal deficit from last week’s first leg and finally prevail in a marathon shoot-out that saw a record-matching 28 penalties taken on the night.
In the end, Bonello again emerged as one of the heroes for the Spartans as the veteran goalkeeper saved two penalties and saw the other sail over the bar as the Maltese side prevailed 11-10 on penalties and set up a second qualifying round tie against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv.
“There was a great sense of euphoria among our players, technical staff, and club officials as it was a memorable night for all the Ħamrun Spartans family,” Bonello told the Times of Malta.
“Looking back at the two legs against FK Žalgiris, we delivered two positive performances, with the second being noticeably more assertive. Although we lost the first leg, I was confident we would turn things around at home. Given the coach’s preferred style of play, the quality within our squad, and the players’ physical conditioning, I had no doubt we had what it took to overcome the deficit.
“We were better in all areas of the pitch, and there was never any doubt about our superiority. The team created 20 scoring opportunities, had seven shots on target, and managed to score two.
“To be honest, we should have been more ruthless in front of goal and scored more goals. But all in all, we were completely dominant on the night, and they didn’t have one shot on target.”
A remarkable feature in the Spartans’ performance against Zagliris was their excellent physical condition, which saw the team running relentlessly during both matches in a bid to turn the tie in their favour.
Bonello revealed that the team is coming from a gruelling pre-season training under the charge of coach Giacomo Modica and the Malta goalkeeper said their hard work has certainly paid off.
“All the players in the squad made a lot of sacrifices in pre-season,” Bonello said.
“The training sessions prepared by our couple were very intensive. Bar a couple of instances, in the last 15 days, we had double sessions of training, and that is much harder than we are used to.
“The team is certainly in great shape when compared to the past, and that was mirrored in our performance. We managed to win all the second balls, and pressed them high up the pitch and never let them settle down.
“One positive thing is that our pre-season programme is not yet complete, and I have no doubt that we can only continue to grow in terms of the physical aspect, and that could give us an advantage as the challenges will get harder and harder.”
Bonello played a key role in the Spartans’ triumph in the penalty shoot-out as he not only saved two penalties but also had to take a penalty himself, which he successfully converted.
“I don’t like to take much personal glory in such instances, as I believe that I am part of the puzzle, and every time the team misses a penalty, I do my best to try and save one myself,” Bonello said.
“It was a long marathon of penalties and obviously, I don’t like to end up on the losing side, and I never throw in the towel.
“I had a long career, and I know how important it is to be strong mentally in these circumstances. When I had to take the penalty, I remained calm, even though the last time I took a penalty was when I played with the minors team a long time ago, and I had scored too, but obviously, a Champions League qualifier is much more important.
“My only concern was that missing the penalty could see the team lose the match after such a great performance, but luckily all went well.”
For the Spartans, this was the second successive season that they had a Champions League qualifier decided in a penalty shoot-out.
Last year, they were knocked out by Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar, a match many thought the Spartans could easily win. But Bonello believes that many times in football, when you think you are facing teams of a lesser quality could easily end up in disappointment.
“Many times in football, when you think you have a favourable draw, it can easily end up in disaster,” Bonello said.
“When you pick teams that are a bit better than you, you approach it with much higher intensity and concentration, and you can easily defy the odds. Something similar happened to us a few years ago against Levski Sofia, when everyone thought we had no chance, but in the end we defied the odds and progressed.”
Next up for Ħamrun Spartans is a tough Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev, of Ukraine. But looking at the bigger picture, Tuesday’s triumph puts the Spartans in a strong position to reach an historic place in the League Phase of the Conference League.
As things stand, irrespective of what happens in the next few weeks, the Spartans are guaranteed to play in the Play-off Round of the UEFA Conference League. But Bonello is not resting on his laurels and admits that he is driven by the prospect of helping the Spartans reach unprecedented heights in Europe.
“It’s the dream of everyone involved in Maltese football to see a Maltese team reach the League Phase of a UEFA club competition,” Bonello said.
“In my career, I have won the league title seven times, but I am driven to try and help my club arrive where no other Maltese team has done in Europe. There is a great desire to reach this goal, and we will be doing all it takes to try and fulfil this goal this summer.
“Knocking out FK Zalgiris was a major confidence boost for us, and now we just need to qualify for another round to ensure a place in the League Phase of a UEFA club competition.
“As I said, we have a new team, where the players are still gelling together, and no doubt there is more to come from us if we keep working hard.”
Bonello said that the appointment of Modica was a great choice by the club, as in his view the Italian tactician has already left a very positive impact among the players.
“The coach has brought something different to our club,” Bonello said.
“In my career, I have never trained so hard in pre-season. But one thing that I like about him is that he believes a lot in his players.
“When he prepares a match, he tends to focus more on his team than on his opponents and his personality helps us a lot not only during training but also during matches.
“He is always pushing the players to give their best and tries to include everyone in the group. And when he sees someone in difficulty, he does his best ot help him and make him feel important, and that is positive.”
Before concluding our interview, Bonello showed his gratitude to the Spartans’ fans who attended Tuesday’s message, but had a clear message for them.
“I would like to thank all the fans who came to support us on Tuesday, as the reason why they came to the ground was that they believed that we could turn the tie around,” Bonello said.
“I hope that they will continue to support us as their passion and energy will be crucial for us in our quest to reach our goals in Europe.”
