Farrugia shines as Qormi win shoot-out

Hibernians 1
Pearson 74
Qormi 1
Camilo 61 pen.
(aet; Qormi win 4-3 on pens)

A coveted place in the semi-finals of the U*Bet FA Trophy was at stake when Hibs encountered Qormi in the last quarter-final.

These two teams have experienced contrasting fortunes this season with Qormi's rise as a Premier League force as remarkable as Hibs' decline from champions last season to mid-table strugglers this term.

Both sides were ultra-motivated to advance to the semi-finals of the KO competition and the end-product of their combined efforts was a balanced, tight game that produced a thrilling finale in the form of a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 stalemate.

The first six penalties were all scored but Qormi seized the advantage when goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia parried Triston Caruana's penalty. Ramon put Qormi ahead by putting away his side's fourth penalty and their progress to the semis was sealed when Andrew Cohen, who had also missed an early penalty, struck the post to send the Qormi players and fans into raptures.

Miller was able to send out his strongest team as key players Cohen and Jonathan Caruana shook off the injuries that had raised doubts about their participation in this cup quarter-final.

Stefan Giglio was the only notable absentee from Qormi's squad as the on-loan midfielder is still sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Hardly three minutes from the start of the game had elapsed when Hibs were awarded a penalty. Referee Marco Borg pointed to the spot after Jonathan Bondin, Qormi's left-back, was adjudged to have shoved Ben Camilleri inside the box. The Qormi players were livid at the penalty award but their sense of injustice ebbed away when Cohen's powerful shot from the spot hit the foot of the post with goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia possibly getting a touch to the ball.

Bar two long-range efforts from Qormi midfielder Massimo Grima, there was little of note after Cohen's botched penalty.

On 13 minutes, Camilo set off on a diagonal run that took him past a posse of Hibs players but his grounder posed no threat to Mario Muscat, the Hibs goalkeeper.

Miller was forced to make his first substitution after 15 minutes as Lopes de Pina succumbed to injury. His place was taken by Jean Paul Farrugia.

Driven on by Caruana's marauding runs from midfield, Hibs seized the initiative. On the half-hour mark, Edward Herrera raced past the hesitant Bondin inside the box but he failed to apply enough power to his shot which was blocked by Farrugia.

Scoring opportunities proved elusive in the latter stages of the first half as Hibs were finding it hard to translate their superior possession into clear openings.

Fastening onto a pass from Cohen, Camilleri easily outfoxed Ramon but his final shot was too central.

The arrival of winger Matthew Bartolo instead of Ryan Deguara at the start of the second half was intended to pep up Qormi's forward play.

Morelato was responsible for fashioning the first chance of the second half when the Brazilian veered into the box from the left but his effort was touched away by Farrugia. From the ensuing corner, Cohen ghosted his way into the area but ended on the turf after making slight contact with Keith Fenech. The Hibs forward raised his hands in protest at Fenech's challenge but Borg was unmoved.

Eight minutes into the second half, a swift counter-thrust by Qormi caught Hibs on the wrong foot. Camilo directed the ball forward as Effiong outpaced Aaron Xuereb but the Nigerian's shot was pushed away by the on-rushing Muscat. Qormi claimed Muscat's intervention came outside the box but their pleas were waved away by Borg.

Qormi's revival as an attacking force produced a tangible reward in the shape of a penalty after Xuereb upended Effiong, put through by Bartolo, in the box. Camilo rammed the ball past Muscat from the spot to give Qormi a 1-0 lead.

A goal in arrears, Hibs were now compelled to up the tempo of their game in search of an equaliser. It took them a while to get going but they made it 1-1 with 16 minutes left courtesy of defender Jonathan Pearson who flicked Cohen's set-piece cross past Farrugia.

Hibs were now expected to press harder for a winner but Qormi refused to lie down. With three minutes left, substitute Yan Cauchi advanced on the right before hitting a cross-shot that dropped near the far post.

With the score locked at 1-1, the game drifted into extra-time. The first and only chance of the first half of extra-time fell to Bondin whose header was saved by Muscat.

Soon after the change of ends, the Hibs goalkeeper foiled Qormi again when deflecting Camilo's angled drive just wide of the far post. Qormi were the more energetic side at this late stage of the game as Hibs tired out.

Having squandered a golden chance when firing wide from close range, Effiong suffered further misery when he was sent off after receiving a second booking for diving.

Hibs thought they had clinched it when Farrugia fumbled Cohen's grounder but the ball came off the post and rolled back into the hands of the Qormi goalkeeper.

Hibs
M. Muscat, A. Pulis, E. Herrera, A. Xuereb ('72 Y. Cauchi), J. Pearson, J. Caruana, C. Callejas, M. Lopes de Pina ('15 J.P. Farrugia ('114 T. Caruana), E. Morelato, A. Cohen, B. Camilleri.

Qormi
M. Farrugia, D. Pisani, Ramon, M. Grima, K. Fenech ('113 S. Meilak), A. Effiong, J. Farrugia, Camilo, R. Deguara ('46 M. Bartolo), J. Bondin, S. Wellman.

Referee: Marco Borg.

Missed penalty: Cohen (H) 3.

Yellow cards: Farrugia; Morelato; Herrera; Xuereb; Bondin; Effiong; Camilleri; Grima.

Red card: Effiong (Q) 116.

Penalty sequence: Callejas (H) 1-0; Farrugia (Q) 1-1; Morellato (H) 2-1; Camilo (Q) 2-2; Pearson (H) 3-2; Bartolo (Q) 3-3; Caruana (H) saved 3-3; Ramon (Q) 3-4; Cohen (H) missed 3-4.