Malta started their EuroHockey Division B qualifiers commitments with a 25-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland.
The lrish have just taken part in the Olympic Games held in Paris while they are the host team of this championship.
The Maltese found it difficult to contain the Irish who were technically and tactically superior. Alistair Empey scored six goals while Ben Johnson netted five goals.
Today Malta play their second game for fifth and eighth place where it faces Italy.
In other results, Wales beat Luxembourg 17-0, Czech Republic scored a 9-1 win against Turkey while Italy and Poland ended in a 0-0 draw although the Polish prevailed 4-3 on the shoot-outs.
