Msida St Joseph 3
P. Dos Santos 13; Doding 68, Gilberto 80
Hibernians 1
Failla 52
Needing a point to dispel any doubts about their survival prospects, Msida St Joseph sealed their mission in style yesterday. Patrick Curmi's troops ended Hibs' three-match winning run in the Relegation Pool when goals by Pedro Dos Santos Calcado, Priso Doding and Gilberto Dos Santos gave them a 3-1 victory.
Msida's success in a match that came to life in the second half also sealed Pietà's fate as the latter are now sure of joining Mqabba in Division One next season.
Msida, who were virtually at full strength, bar the suspended Adrian Farrugia and injured defender Andrew Spiteri, needed just 13 minutes to break the stalemate. Brazilian striker Pedrinho hit a low free-kick past Hibs' defensive wall and into the low corner of the net as goalkeeper Mario Muscat's desperate dive came too late to avert the danger.
In next to no time, Msida threatened to double their lead when Tyrone Farrugia's piledriver flew tantalisingly towards goal but Muscat somehow managed to tip the ball onto the crossbar.
Hibs had been second best for most of the opening quarter but with the likes of Terence Scerri and Andrew Cohen leading their forward line, their attacking threat was not to be discarded.
A swift breakaway on 21 minutes by the Paolites caught the Msida defence off guard as Scerri used his speed and strength to surge towards goal. Msida's Patrick Borg twice attempted to pull the Hibs striker back but it was only after Scerri had miscued his final shot that referee Paul Caruana pointed to the penalty spot and cautioned the erring defender.
Scerri assumed responsibility for the penalty but drove the ball wide of the near post.
At the other end, Msida also demonstrated their counter-attacking prowess when Doding was clean through on goal only to be pegged back by Muscat. Msida's Cameroon striker was first to the loose ball on the right edge of the penalty area and crossed for Gilberto Dos Santos whose header lacked accuracy.
The Paolites seized the ascendancy as the first half drew closer. Msida goalkeeper Manwel Bartolo effected an easy save on Scerri's volley and, moments later, made a more eye-catching intervention when palming a tricky shot from Edmond Agius around his near post.
In the dying moments, Hibs' pressure yielded a couple of corners but headers by Adrian Pulis and Aaron Xuereb failed to trouble the Msida rearguard.
The early stages of the second half were shared but seven minutes after the restart, Hibs drew level when a seemingly innocuous shot by Clayton Failla from the inside-left channel had the better of Bartolo in the Msida goal.
Gaining confidence from their equaliser, Hibs now drove forward with more verve. The erstwhile subdued Ndubisi Chukunyere unsettled the Msida defence with a bursting run on the right before he teed up Scerri whose fiercely-struck shot from the edge of the box swerved over the crossbar.
Moments later, Bartolo kept his team on equal terms with a save from Pablo Doffo's scorcher. A header by Chukunyere, from a Doffo free-kick, was too central to worry Bartolo.
Midway through the second half, the unexpected happened as Msida scored. The speedy Doding got on the end of a long pass, outpaced Xuereb and flicked a low shot past Muscat.
Long balls from the back continued to spread havoc in the Hibs defence as Farrugia once again picked out Doding who ran clear but his dipper flew wide, with referee Caruana awarding Msida a corner after ruling that Muscat had just got a touch to the ball.
Ten minutes from time, Gilberto sealed the points for Msida, beating Muscat with a shot from the right.
Late in the game, Hibs substitute Abada Fish headed wide from a Doffo free-kick and Jonathan Caruana's volley from inside the box was pushed away by Bartolo.
Msida St Joseph
M. Bartolo-6.5, P. Sciriha-5.5, S. Grima-5.5, R. Baldacchino-3 ('74 C. Spiteri), C. Brincat-6, P. Borg-5, D. Cachia-6, T. Farrugia-6.5, G. Dos Santos-6, P. Dos Santos Calcado-5.5, P. N. Doding-7 ('88 l. Micallef).
Hibernians
M. Muscat-6 ('83 D. Balzan), J. Xerri-5.5, A. Xuereb-5 ('75 A. Fish), A. Pulis-5, N. Chukunyere-6, E. Agius-6, P. Doffo-6, C. Failla-5.5, A. Cohen-5 ('53 T. Caruana), T. Scerri-5, J. Caruana-5.
Referee Paul Caruana.
Missed penalty Scerri (H) 22.
Yellow card Borg.
BoV Player of the match Priso N. Doding (Msida SJ).