Flioriana 0
Hibernians 2
Floriana: D. Farrugia, R. Gango Rtsa (J. Schembri Craig), I. Azzopardi, S. Wellman, M. Caruana, A. Rocha da Silva, T. Cilia, C. Cassar, M. Micallef, M. Brincat (R. Darmanin), N. Baldacchino.
Hibernians: M. Muscat, A. Pulis, A. Xuereb, R. Mintoff, E. Mbong, P. Pullicino, N. Chukunyere, A. Zahra, T. Scerri, R. Baldacchino (E. Azzopardi), A. Cohen (K. Spiteri).
Referee: A. Zammit Asst. Refs: C. Micallef, P. Agius 4th official: A. Casha.
Scorers: P. Pullicino, T. Scerri
Yellow cards: A. Zahra, E. Mbong, A. Xuereb. M. Caruana
Player of match: A. Cohen (Hibernians)
TMI top three: 1. P. Pullicino 2.M. Caruana 3. E. Mbong.
Hibernians are in the groove. Effortlessly poaching a goal in each half, they scored their eighth Premier League victory to keep the pace with Valletta and Sliema Wanderers.
Yesterday they carried too much guns for an inexperienced Floriana side, who played second fiddle for most of the game.
Hibernians were sharper and faster and well ahead of their opponents in terms of ideas and the ability to implement them.
Following the pre-match presentation of a memento to goalkeeper Mario Muscat who yesterday became the player with most appearances for the Paola club, playing his 300th competitive match for Hibernians, the latter had the initiative for most of the first half but failed to make it count in the face of disciplined defending from Floriana.
Their defensive posture invited Hibernians to work up a sustained pressure as they created enough chances to deserve their one-goal cushion by half-time.
Scerri’s cross-shot was palmed out by Farrugia and a Pulis long distance drive was off target. Towards the half hour, Cohen’s glancing header on Chukunyere’s cross went narrowly off target.
There was an air of inevitability about Hibernians’ first goal on 35 minutes as Peter Pullicino finished off Cohen’s cross past a helpless Farrugia.
Hibernians kept up the onslaught and a Scerri header was saved into a corner by Farrugia.
Floriana’s best chance fell just before the break. Following a Cassar free-kick from the left and a short Hibernians clearance, Da Silva thumped his volley against the crossbar with Muscat beaten.
Play was chaotic and frenzied in the second half. Hibernians controlled the proceedings with training-spin easiness. Floriana, though, still only a goal down, kept fighting gamely, although they lacked the required punch in front of Muscat’s goal.
The young Floriana keeper denied Hibernians time and again as he turned into a corner Cohen’s shot on a Zahra through ball and then blocked Chukunyere’s tame header on another Zahra cross.
Floriana’s woes increased with the forced substitution of the injured Gango Rtsa on 75 minutes and two minutes later Brincat was also substituted with Darmanin.
With time running out Chukunyere cut towards the middle, outpacing two opponents. His rising shot was tipped to a corner.
And with two minutes remaining, Hibernians cemented the issue when Mbong created space for himself before putting Terence Scerri through inside the area and with a static Floriana defence and the assistant’s flag kept down, the Hibernians’ lethal striker rounded the keeper to deposit the ball into an empty goal.