Minimum dividends for Hibs

Hibernians 2
Shelbourne 2

The attraction of a next round tie against crack Portuguese side Boavista (two officials of this team were at Ta' Qali yesterday) must have raised the adrenaline of both Hibernians and Irish champions Shelbourne in a bid to procure a first-leg kick-start at Ta' Qali yesterday evening.

Both teams' bosses were naturally confident of a positive outcome as they devised their tactical plans to outwit each other. Apart from a solid midfield base, the Maltese outfit banked on the skills of the elusive Nigerian Ndubisi Chukunyere and the mobility of his attacking partner and last season's Player of the Year Adrian Mifsud.

In the absence of their chief hitman Stephen Geoghegan, suspended, and the injured midfielder David Byron, Shelbourne were called on to derive benefit from their cohesive physical qualities, spearheaded by dangerman Ollie Cahill and the striking instincts of the incoming Mark Roberts.

For Hibs, it turned out to be a tough clash against opponents who may not have displayed any particular skills other than dour physical qualities. A sharing of spoils has certainly put the Irish in a better position for the return leg.

The Paolites fought manly to maintain a 2-1 lead for a full 30 minutes, after which the stronger physique of the visitors and their more positive mentality earned them the equaliser.

Before kick-off, Hibs captain Silvio Vella, also an eminent ex-Malta player, was presented with a memento by his club in recognition of his sterling services to the team. The Paolites' defender announced recently that he will be hanging up his boots after his team's Euro commitments.

The match was off to a meteoric start. Barely six minutes were showing on the scoreboard when the visitors forged ahead.

Cahill sent an inviting ball from the left and with all the Hibs defenders rooted to the ground, Stuart Byrne left Mario Muscat standing with a header to the low left-hand corner.

The cheers from the Irish faction were superseded seconds later. From the restart the ball went to Adrian Ciantar on the left. The resultant chip eluded an Irish defender and Chukunyere nipped in to slot towards the opposite corner of the net.

One thought that such a lift-off would be the harbinger of better things. However, there was nothing much of note except sporadic crosses at either end.

There was always a flurry when Chukunyere was on the ball though.

The Nigerian's taunting skills forced the visitors into stopping him illegally near the edge of the area. Ciantar's excellently floated free-kick struck the post, with the ball squirming across the face of goal before Adrian Pulis prodded in to the delight of his team's fans.

At this point, Hibernians raised the tempo of their game and went surging forward in quest of a third goal. Ciantar, Mbong and Pullicino took charge of the midfield sector as the visitors' initial spark went dimming.

They were badly in need of re-charging their batteries at half-time. Hibernians, on their part, looked vibrant enough to continue after the change of ends where they had left off.

Shelbourne's sharper opening in the second half had Heary hitting over the top. It was more a matter of insisting by the Irishmen than caution by the Paolites that drifted the tide towards the Maltese champions' half of the pitch.

But every time Chukunyere was in possession, there was more than a stir on the stands. A safety-first header after dazzling footwork and a cross by the Nigerian had Mifsud's effort missing the target.

Hibs' reaction continued and a cute Mifsud service to Pullicino brought panic in Shelbourne's rearguard. At the other end a Cahill chip was met by Molloy but the latter headed weakly out when well-placed.

The equaliser was only postponed by a couple of minutes, however.

Molloy, released on the left, sent a low cross across the face of goal where Gannon was allowed to nip in from the blind side and head past Muscat.

Sixteen minutes from time Robert Gatt opted for the tricky Antoine Zahra in lieu of defender Kevin Cassar. Defensive expediency was sacrificed for enterprise.

But, with the minutes ticking away, Hibs' physical frailties started to surface, particularly in the link-up zone. Nevertheless, they kept battling on.

Six minutes from time Vella's free-kick took a partial deflection and the ball whizzed the wrong side of the upright. That was that, with Hibs now having a very tough task to upstage their opponents in the return leg on Wednesday.

Aftermatch comments

Hibs coach Robert Gatt said his players should have avoided conceding an early goal against Shelbourne even though their reaction was tremendous, at least until the break.

"We responded really well for that early shock and could have added more goals before half-time," he said. "However, Shelbourne's better physical condition then made the difference as we found it hard to cope with the pace.

"But I am not really downhearted and we're in fact optimistic of reaching the next round. Shelbourne are more or less of our own level and I am sure we could surprise them in the second leg."

Pat Fenlon, the young Shelbourne manager, was a satisfied man.

"Scoring twice away from home in Euro football is great. We deserved the draw and now start favourites to reach the next round," he said.

"Our first-half performance was poor but on the changeover we played much better. We were stronger than Hibs physically but we still think it is not over yet. Hibs played a good game and could hit us on the break in Dublin as well."

Hibernians: M. Muscat, K. Cassar (A. Zahra), B. Nisevic, S. Vella, A. Ciantar, E. Mbong, A. Mifsud, N. Chukunyere, P. Pullicino, A. Pulis, R. Baldacchino (M. Mifsud).

Shelbourne: S. Williams, O. Heary, D. Crawley, T. Mccarthy, K. Doherty (B. Prenderville), J. Gannon, O. Cahill, S. Byrne, T. Molloy, R. Baker, M. Roberts.

Referee: E. Blareau (Belgium).

Scorers: Byrne 6, Chukunyere 7, Pulis 37, Gannon 67.

Yellow Cards: Cahill, A. Mifsud, Roberts.