Muscat aims ‘Caanen’ jibe at Valletta supporters

Hibs coach Mark Miller had called on his team to be bold and brave in their confrontation with Valletta on Friday night.

Having described Valletta as ‘the Real Madrid of Malta’ in the lead-up to Hibs’ first skirmish with the Citizens, Miller was aware that his players had to work extremely hard and keep their composure to gain something from Friday’s encounter.

For veteran goalkeeper Mario Muscat, the test was even harder as he had to deal not only with Valletta’s attacks but also with the derogatory chants of the City fans, still bitter about what they perceived as a poor performance by the Hibs captain in last season’s 5-4 defeat to Birkirkara.

Despite conceding two goals, Muscat had good cause to be pleased after the match as Hibs traipsed out of the National Stadium with a point and their reputation enhanced after holding their rivals to a 2-2 draw.

After the match, Muscat had a dig at his tormentors when asked for his reaction to the abuse he received during the game.

“Unfortunately we live in a country where these things happen,” Muscat said. “It (the abuse) doesn’t affect my concentration but those chants don’t do any credit to those who sang them.

“I will only say one thing… remember the comments Ton Caanen, the former Valletta coach, made about some of the club’s fans in an interview last season because I tend to agree with him.”

Muscat initially stopped short of repeating Caanen’s quotes but he later intimated that, in the interview he was alluding to, the Dutch coach reportedly said that some Valletta supporters should stay at home because they don’t understand football.

For a period in Friday’s game, Hibs silenced the City crowd after hitting two quickfire goals, courtesy of Matt Clarke and Edward Herrera, in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Denni’s opener from a penalty but Terrence Scerri rescued a point for Valletta with a headed equaliser 10 minutes from the end.

“The opening goal came against the run of play,” Muscat said. “We produced an immediate reaction and were fortunate to score two goals just before half-time.

“Before the game, we believed we could cause problems to Valletta in set-pieces. On the other hand, we were also disappointed to let in a goal from a set-piece.

“Overall, if you see how the game developed, I think the result was fair. You can’t help but feel frustrated when you concede a goal in the final stages but we can take many positives from this game.

“Our performance against Valletta showed that our players are starting to believe that we have a competitive team this season.”

In his pre-match comments, Miller declared that Hibs “have no dreams of winning the championship” but his assertion was widely construed as an attempt to take the pressure off his players, especially the younger members of his squad.

Amid talk of this season’s championship being the most balanced for years, Muscat stressed that Hibs’ top priority is to secure a place in the Championship Pool.

“Our first aim is to make the top six,” Muscat said. “This season, it’s really difficult to predict which teams are likely to occupy the bottom four places because all sides look strong.

“It’s going to be a hard battle. Gaining a place in the Championship Pool is not an easy task as we found out three years ago when Hibs ended up in the Relegation Pool.

“My hope is that we collect enough points to be able to challenge for the title in the second phase and I believe that is an achievable target.”

Jamie Pace, who captained Valletta against Hibs as Gilbert Agius started on the bench, viewed the result as a point gained rather than two dropped.

“We have won a point, considering the way the game unfolded,” Pace said. “From 1-0 up, we found ourselves 2-1 down after conceding two goals in one minute. I’m satisfied that we kept going in the second half.”

When it was suggested to Pace that Valletta conceded a lot of space to Hibs, especially in the centre of the pitch, the Malta midfielder replied: “It’s not uncommon for teams to find space against us because of the way we play. We always seek to push forward when we have possession and that automatically opens up space for the opponents but we’ve got used to this.

“Also, don’t underestimate Hibs because they are a good team.”

Hibs’ battling display ought to have reminded Valletta of the pitfalls that could leave their bid to recapture the title in tatters but Pace maintained that the players are prepared for the looming challenges.

“We are ready,” Pace said. “We know that the race for the title is going to be tough but we’re prepared.”

The sheer quality of the crosses Andrew Cohen put into the box undid the City defence in the two instants that led to Hibs’ goals in first-half stoppage time. The concession of two goals from set-pieces led to suggestions that Valletta may be vulnerable in dead-ball situations but Pace is not unduly concerned.

“I don’t think the manner of Hibs’ two goals indicates a weakness on our part in defending set-pieces,” Pace said. “Their first goal was down to the strength of Matt Clarke… he’s a beast. There was no way we could mark him in the box because he’s so tall and powerful.

“As for the second goal, I don’t know what Harry (Herrera) tried to do but he scored a gem. These things are common in football.”

Ħamrun Spartans are the only team with maximum points in the Premier League after two matches. On Sunday, the Spartans maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 victory over Tarxien Rainbows who have one point from two games.

Marcelo Pereira fired the Spartans ahead after 15 minutes but Brazilian forward Rodrigues equalised for Tarxien from the penalty spot seven minutes later. Ħamrun restored their lead on 33 minutes thanks to Massimo Grima’s glancing header from David Camilleri’s corner.

Tarxien coach Noel Coleiro tried to boost his team’s performance by bringing on Sergio Hili and Luke Vella Critien for Ryan Grech and Justin Grioli respectively at the start of the second half. But, the Spartans weathered their opponents’ pressure before hitting the killer blow nine minutes from time.

Scottish forward Dene Shields pounced on Ryan Mintoff’s wayward header to dart past Tarxien goalkeeper Anthony Curmi and tap the ball home.

Valletta and Hibernians dropped their first points of the season after sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw on Friday.

Brazilian playmaker Denni converted a penalty, given for Matt Clarke’s nudge on Terrence Scerri, to give Valletta a 44th minute lead. Hibs hit back immediately, striking twice in first-half stoppage time to go in for the break 2-1 up.

Clarke levelled the score for Hibs with a powerful header from Andrew Cohen’s free-kick and Edward Herrera put them in front with a dipping shot after Valletta had failed to deal with another Cohen delivery.

Valletta salvaged a point thanks to Scerri who headed Kevin Sammut’s cross past Mario Muscat. After losing Jonathan Caruana to injury six minutes from half-time, Valletta suffered another blow when Gilbert Agius, who had replaced the former Hibs defender, succumbed to a calf injury late on, leaving his team with 10 men.

Champions Birkirkara slumped to their first defeat of the season after a 2-0 loss to Floriana who thus atoned for their opening 3-1 upset to Hibs.

American forward Michael Mecerod opened the scoring for Floriana on the stroke of half-time and Bulgarian Kiril Dzhorov sealed the issue with a second goal in the dying moments.

Midfielder George Mallia notched a brace to inspire Qormi to a 4-2 win over Vittoriosa Stars on Saturday. Joseph Farrugia and Kosta Bjedov were also on target for Qormi while Nigerian Anthony Ewurum scored Vittoriosa’s goals.

Sliema Wanderers and Marsaxlokk failed to record their first win after their encounter ended goalless on Sunday.

Marsaxlokk have two points but have yet to score a goal while Sliema have one point after losing 4-1 to Birkirkara in their opening match.

Premier League statistics

Scorers
Birkirkara: Galea 2 (1 pen), Vella, Lattes.
Floriana: Mecerod, Dzhorov, Darmanin.
Ħamrun Spartans: Pereira 2, Shields 2; Mangion, Grima.
Hibernians: McManus 2; Caruana, Clarke, Herrera.
Marsaxlokk: No scorers.
Qormi: Mallia 3; Bjedov, J. Farrugia.
Sliema Wanderers: Lima Sequeira.
Red card: Mintoff (vs Birkirkara).
Tarxien Rainbows: Rodrigues (pen).
Valletta: Sammut, Zammit, Falzon, Scerri, Denni Dos Santos (pen).
Vittoriosa Stars: Ewurum 2.
Red card: Campagnoli (vs Valletta).

Next Fixtures - (National Stadium)
Friday: 19.30 - Hibs vs Birkirkara.
Saturday: 17.00 - Tarxien Rainbows vs Vittoriosa Stars; 19.00 - Valletta vs Qormi.
Sunday: 17.00 - Floriana vs Marsaxlokk; 19.00 - Sliema Wanderers vs Ħamrun Spartans.