Birkirkara 0 Hibernians 1
Birkirkara: J. Haber, E. Herrera (T. Vella), A. Mendoza, M.Bissi, J. Zerafa, G. Sciberras, Z. Muscat, P. Fenech, R. Muscat (Jhonnattan), S. Shodiya, F. Temile (D. Toure’) Hibernians: M. Muscat, R. Camilleri, J. Pearson, J. Lima (J. Bezzina), R. Soares, M. Dias (M. Bartolo), A. Cohen, B. Kristensen (J.P. Farrugia), C. Failla, Z. Levnaic, L. Edison Referee: H. Jones Asst.refs: M. Roberts, M. Glay 4th official: A. Harms Scorers: J. Lima 30 Yellow cards: Z. Muscat, R. Soares, M. Bissi, S. Shodiya, Z. Levnaic, L. Edison, M. Bartolo Red card: M. Bissi Player of the match: R. Soares (Hibernians) TMI top three: 1. R. Soares 2. J. Pearson 3. S. Shodiya Attendance: 1,656
Hibernians registered their fifth win on the trot and now go three points clear at the top of the BoV Premier League standings above Valletta and four above third placed Sliema Wanderers.
They edged Birkirkara thanks to a soli- tary Jackon Lima goal on the half hour as the champions were reduced to ten men for the entire second half. Birkirkara’s performance yesterday exposed some shortcomings in the side, especially in the final third.
Yet nothing should detract from a display of incisive football and excellent de- fending it was from a Hibernians side, hitting best form with a perfect start to the new campaign. Yesterday was supposed to be a stern test for the Paolites’ potential. They proved faster to the ball almost every time, playing with great fluency and instinct.
The league leaders were buoyant, playing with great energy and all the qualities of movement and penetration their opponents were missing. Dias in the first half, Lima and Cohen harried and chased whenever they had the ball. Birkirkara suffered after Mathias Bissi was sent off towards the end of the second half and although they showed the will to go forward, the champions often looked short of ideas as their opponents closed down at the back. Jonathan Pearson returned from sus- pension and Bjorn Kristensen recovered from injury as they were both inlcuded in the Hibernians’ starting line-up. Birkirkara’s only change from the side that had to sweat to beat Mosta the previous week, was the inclusion of Frank Temile instead of Demba Toure’.
Birkirkara tried to exploit Temile’s speed down their left flank but Nisevic’s counter tactics for Birkirkara had Marcelo Dias playing in a very deep role, almost an added defender on the right to blot him out. Shodiya also struggled to make in- roads through the middle and al- though the champions looked slightly superior in midfield, their opponents were always sharper on the ball. All the physical endeavour produced little in terms of goalmouth action for a whole half hour. Neither of the two goalkeeper needed to be in attendance.
But the wait was well worth as Hibernians made the breakthrough with a near-perfect execution after that. Hi- bernians broke from midfield as Dias advanced on the right and sent a deep cross at the far post for Cohen to head the ball back in the path of Jackson Lima to beat keeper Haber at the top corner from the edge of the area. It was a goal the game, as a spectacle, badly needed. The half’s other noteworthy episode was the dismissal of Birkirkara’s Matheus Bissi on the stroke of half- time, collecting his second yellow card for a foul on Soares, hardly five min- utes after he was booked for a retalia- tion on Edison. Birkirkara coach Paul Zammit was thus forced to change plans after the interval.
He put in Jhonnattan for Rowen Muscat and switched Temile from the left to the right flank. The champions went into the second half in more lively fashion and Hibernians were forced to absorb some sustained pressure. For all their huffing and puffing, Birkirkara continued to struggle for rhythm. They failed to find a way past keeper Muscat as central defenders Soares and Pearson excelled in the air and on the ground. Shodiya came up with a routine shot from the edge of the area that sailed over the bar. Earlier, Failla’s insidious cross shot from the left was palmed out by keeper Haber.
Hibernians’ forced substitution of their most dangerous player by then, Marcelo Dias, might have given the Stripes a breather. They were quick to put in Demba Toure’ for Temile but had to overcome a scare on 72 minutes when a Lima cross from the left took a wicked de- flection off Mendoza and ended into a corner. Birkirkara’s efforts looked laborious. Fenech’s powerful shot was repelled by keeper Muscat, who also saved Shodiya’s header on Herrera’s cross.