Scerri, Cohen plot Stripes' downfall

Hibernians 3
Birkirkara 2

Hibernians opened the 2006/07 season in convincing style yesterday after having the better of Birkirkara in an entertaining Euro Challenge Trophy match at Ta' Qali.

Goals from strikers Terence Scerri and Andrew Cohen put the Paolites on top of the three-team tournament, along with Sliema Wanderers, with Birkirkara now out of the reckoning.

The Paolites enjoy a superior goal difference in the standings. They only need a draw from tomorrow's match against the Wanderers to claim the first domestic honour of the season.

On Monday, Sliema beat Birkir-kara 1-0.

Despite the absence of foreign players in their line-up, Hibs had a good performance that bodes well for next week's UEFA Cup tie against Romania's Dinamo Bucharest.

On the other hand, Birkirkara again failed to deliver. The absence of several first team players left its mark on their game. They will be hoping to recover most of the absentees ahead of Tuesday's Champions League home leg against Faroese side B36 Torshavn.

Hibs coach Robert Gatt opted for an all-Maltese line-up as none of the new foreign recruits, Argentine Cesar Pablo Doffo and Bulgarian defender Georgi Ivanov, were fit to play. Nigerian forward Udo Nwoko was also missing but compatriot Ndubisi Chukunyere was a surprise addition to the Hibs squad.

Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzo-pardi only had 14 players available with William Camenzuli and Kenneth Scicluna the only members of the team that won the league title last season. Azzopardi, however, fielded his new foreign trio of Andrzej Bledzewski, the Polish keeper, and Italian duo Guido Gallovich and Angelo Paradiso.

The first action of the match produced a goal and it was Hibs who claimed it. The clock marked 13 minutes when Cohen burst into the area, crossed towards Scerri who somehow pushed the ball into the net after his first headed attempt was kept out by Bledzewski.

For the next 15 minutes there was little of note and we had to wait until the half-hour mark for the next goal-scoring opportunity.

Scerri was sent through by Cohen but the Hibs forward shot straight at Bledzewski. Two minutes later, the Polish goalkeeper again came to Birkirkara's rescue when he blocked Edmond Agius's shot.

At the start of the second half Bledzewski was withdrawn with his place in goal filled by young Joshua Galea.

The Stripes could not have hoped for a better take-off after the restart as inside the first three minutes the score was again level... and what a goal it was. Paradiso took possession at the halfway mark and with Mario Muscat out of position he delivered an audacious lob that had the better of the Hibs goalkeeper as the ball flew inside the net.

The goal spurred Birkirkara into action and on 53 minutes Tabone was well picked by Paradiso's free-kick but his header flew wide.

However, Cohen, the newly-crowned Player of the Year, was on the mark on 65 minutes for Hibs.

Gallovich tried to intercept Agius's long pass towards Cohen but the Birkirkara defender made a hash of the ball that fell kindly to the Hibs forward who cooly slotted home past Galea.

Scerri should have put the match beyond Birkirkara's reach on 73 minutes when he was again released by Cohen but shot straight at Galea.

Gallovich's low-key debut took a twist for the worst 12 minutes from time when he was shown a red card for a second bookable offence.

Galea again came to Birkirkara's rescue nine minutes from time when he kept out a shot from Hibs substitute Roderick Baldacchino.

But Hibs made it 3-1 on 87 minutes when Chukunyere ably released Scerri who easily hit the ball home past Galea.

Birkirkara still managed to pull one back in time added on when substitute Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza scored from close in. However, the goal arrived too late in the day for the Stripes to avoid a second consecutive defeat in the competition.

Hibernians: M. Muscat, R. Mintoff, K. Spiteri, C. Failla ('73 R. Baldacchino), E. Agius, J. Vella, M. Bartolo ('84 A. Zahra), A. Pulis, T. Scerri, A. Cohen, B. Camilleri ('64 N. Chukunyere).

Birkirkara: A. Bledzewski ('46 J. Galea), L. Stivala ('67 J.P. Mifsud Triganza), W. Camenzuli, T. Paris ('46 H. Sbai), M. Anastasi, R. Mifsud, K. Scicluna, A. Paradiso, G. Gallovich, A. Tabone, J. Zerafa.

Referee: Anton Zammit.

Scorers: Scerri 13, 87; Paradiso 47; Cohen 65; Mifsud Triganza 90.

Yellow card: Camenzuli.

Red card: Gallovich 78.