They were what they are, one of Europe’s whipping boys.
No real surprise, then, that there were more questions than answers from yesterday’s little exercise.
The biggest one perhaps being... why leave one of the biggest talents we’ve produced in years, Marcus Rashford, on the bench for more than an hour when the kid could have helped himself to a hatful?
Just imagine what that would have done for his confidence – and the country’s.
The amazing 81,000 spectators who still turned up, despite the Euros flop and the quality of the opposition yesterday, showed what they thought by the reception they gave Rashford when he finally did come on. And they had a point.
You can be kind to Gareth Southgate here and say he was saving the boy wonder for what will almost certainly be a tougher test in Slovenia on Tuesday. But kindness is what such a suggestion would be.
Like Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and even Jose Mourinho, Southgate opted to hold the lad back.
Brazil, didn’t do that with Pele when he burst on to the scene at 17. It didn’t seem to occur to Portugal to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench when he was a teenage whizkid.
So why the heck are we doing it?
Let youth have its head here, say I, because this particular striker has the potential to do wonders for England in EVERY match.
To be honest, the Slovenians – and the Scots next month for that matter – are going to be far more concerned about Rashford at full pelt than the prospect of Daniel Sturridge pulling up injured at any minute.
That might sound a tad cruel, but it’s true. Right now Rashford or Sturridge is no contest, even if Liverpool’s in-out man did score.
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England created plenty of chances before they took their foot off the pedal, but they only scored twice.
It could be argued that if Rashford had been on earlier England might have got a lot more despite the undoubted heroics of Malta’s goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.
But as one door opens, as they say, another one is shutting. For Wayne Rooney at any rate.
His career as England’s top goalscorer is surely over as he makes way for Rashford. He should focus on his role as midfield general.
Manchester United have obviously made that decision about him already. Now his country looks pretty certain to do the same.
Rooney holds the record for the most goals scored for England (53) and at 117 games and still counting is also the country’s most-capped outfield player.
The chances are that one day Rashford will take over from him. But in the meantime the Scouser many England fans seem to love to hate still has a big part to play for England both on and off the field.
Alongside Jordan Henderson, Rooney controlled the middle of the park yesterday and Southgate dropped the broadest of hints afterwards that that is the way it will stay for the foreseeable future. Certainly for as long as he’s in charge.
Spare a thought for Malta’s Mr Hogg. Henderson got the man-of-the-match accolade, but the Maltese keeper surely deserved it more.
Without him Malta would probably have taken a hammering, and him dream of one day playing in England deserves to come true if yesterday was anything to go by.
He certainly did his dream no harm with a wonderful display.