Hibernians all but hand sceptre to Birkirkara

Hibernians 4
Sliema Wanderers 3

THE verdict has been delivered! Birkirkara are only a whisker away from claiming their second ever Premier League title as Sliema lost their second match on the trot to leave the Stripes enjoying a near insurmountable eight-point lead at the top of the table with three matches to go.

Following the 1-0 reverse to Marsaxlokk last week, coupled with Birkirkara's victory over Valletta on Friday evening, Sliema all but kissed goodbye to their chances of winning the championship for a fourth time on the trot. This was the final nail in the coffin for a side that has dominated the Premier League for three successive seasons. Now, they also have to be wary not to forfeit the second place in the standings as well.

The wounded Blues took to this encounter without several key players. Striker Daniel Bogdanovic and defender Mauro Di Lello were suspended whereas Jeffrey Chetcuti and David Carabott joined the casualty list which had already included Stefan Giglio and Orosco Anonam. Veteran midfielder Joe Brincat was on the substitutes' bench.

In a bid to limit the potential damage to bare minimum, coach Edward Aquilina named Lee Lombardi in defence and Lee Grima and Joseph Farrugia in midfield.

Hibernians had their fair share of the problems to contend with.

Following their last match against Valletta, Robert Gatt fielded a makeshift team. Alex Camilleri was given the nod to replace Mario Muscat in goal. The Hibs' goalkeeper was handed a two-match ban and stripped of the team's captaincy for a year following an incident with Valletta's Craig Dean.

Aaron Xuereb, Kenneth Spiteri and Clayton Failla were also banned for this match and their absence was coupled with injury to Ben Camilleri and Jonathan Pearson. Peter Pullicino and Terrence Scerri were only named as substitutes. They both made a welcome return to the field late in the match after a lengthy lay-off.

With the endless list of suspended and injured players, the odds were against the Paolites who had twice finished on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline this season against the champions.

Hibs did, however, claim a 2-0 victory in the second round of the championship but given the roller-coaster season that Gatt's troops endured this season, few critics would have placed their faith in the Poalites to deal another blow to Sliema's ailing hopes.

However, the match was barely five minutes old when Hibs stormed into the lead.

Prolific striker Andrew Cohen darted into the penalty area only to be floored by a late tackle from Lombardi.

Cohen kept his cool to hit a low shot to Akanji's right and although the Sliema custodian did manage to get a hand to the ball, it was all in vain as the effort had enough momentum to fly into the net.

On 16 minutes, Hibs doubled the score. Williamson lofted a menacing cross inside the box and Doda towered well into the air to head past Akanji.

Five minutes later, the Wanderers clawed their way back with a well-taken goal. Woods masterminded the move with a pass towards Doncic who made no mistake from close range.

On 25 minutes, Turner drifted clear but his shot from a tight angle only hit the side of the netting.

Nine minutes from half-time, Doda's acrobatic kick freed Cohen on the left hand side. The striker took his time to coordinate a powerful shot that was partially repelled by Akanji and cleared to safety by Brian Said.

On 41 minutes, the Poalites re-established their two-goal lead. Cohen floated a free-kick inside the box and Doda managed to outsmart Said and Grima before tapping a low shot home.

Midway through the second half, the Blues were unlucky not to score their second goal.

Bajada chipped a free-kick deep inside the penalty area and Said followed the ball's flight as he connected with a good header that rebounded off the crossbar.

Inside the last quarter, Woods skewed a pass towards substitute John Mintoff who flashed in with an excellent shot that sailed into the net.

With the clock weighing down, the Blues tried desperately to save the game and on 81 minutes Turner saw his shot hitting the bar with Camilleri stranded on his line.

Five minutes from time, substitute Scerri capped his return from injury with a fine goal after a powerful shot from close in as Sliema's hopes of picking at least a point from this encounter faded into oblivion.

Deep into stoppage time, Turner made the scoreline look more respectable but the sense of disappointment was clearly visible in the Blues' clan.

Hibernians: A. Camilleri-6.5, A. Pulis-6.5, R. Mintoff-6.5, D. Williamson-7 ('89 L. Desira Buttigieg), E. Mbong-7, A. Cohen-7.5 ('86 P. Pullicino), R. Baldacchino-7, E. Agius-7, J. Vella-6.5 ('76 T. Scerri), D. Camilleri-7, H. Doda-8.

Sliema: M. Akanji-6, A. Muscat-6, B. Said-6, D. Debono-6, L. Lombardi-6, N. Turner-6.5, D. Doncic-6, R. Bajada-6.5 ('90 M. Scerri), J. Farrugia-6 ('56 J. Mintoff-7), I. Woods-7, L. Grima-6.

Referee: Joe Attard.

Scorers: Cohen 5 (Pen); Doda 16, 41; Doncic 21; J. Mintoff 79; Scerri 85; Turner 90.

Yellow Cards: Bajada, Baldac-Chino, Debono, Muscat, Grima.

Bov Player Of The Match: Haruna Doda (Hibernians).