Birkirkara 1
Vukanac 74;
Hibernians 1
Agius 90+;
The inescapable feeling that this is going to be Hibernians’ season was further reinforced yesterday.
Hibs were trailing Birkirkara 1-0 with only two minutes of stoppage time left.
Man-of-the-match Nikola Vukanac had broken the deadlock late in the second half to put the enterprising Birkirkara in the driving seat.
Their fans were in full voice but football has a knack of throwing up the unexpected. This slow-burning contest produced a dramatic denouement as Alejandro Mendoza marred a solid performance when committing a blatant handball that earned him a second booking in time added-on.
Off went the Spanish defender and, from the ensuing free-kick, taken by Andrew Cohen, Andrei Agius, another defender, glanced the ball into the bottom corner to salvage a draw for the leaders that not only extended Hibs’ unbeaten run to 20 games this season but, more importantly, left them 15 points clear of Birkirkara.
As referee Trustin Farrugia Cann sounded out the final whistle, the Hibs players embraced as their ecstatic supporters sang their hearts out while the dejected Birkirkara players shook their heads in disbelief as they trudged off the pitch.
Their disappointment was justified as they looked to have done enough to resuscitate their title hopes and inflict Hibs’ first defeat but Mendoza’s aberration dampened their rising optimism.
In a game that had taken a while to ignite, the Birkirkara players had put in an enormous shift, their defiance typified by the unflappable Vukanac and Zach Muscat.
With Liliu, their leading scorer, out for the rest of the season, Birkirkara still lack punch up front but their tactical cohesion and resilience had offset their attacking weaknesses against a cautious Hibs team who, uncharacteristically, looked devoid of flair in the final third.
Yet, Hibs again offered further proof of their mental fortitude, a quality associated with champions, as they extracted instant advantage after Mendoza’s exit with Agius, a commanding figure at the back, stealing the show with that last-gasp equaliser that kept Hibs on course to win the title.
With Brazilian speedster Marcelo Dias ruled out with an adductor injury, the up-and-coming Joseph Mbong was handed a chance to demonstrate his big-game temperament as the young winger was tasked with patrolling the right flank.
Coach Branko Nisevic relied on his tried-and-trusted elements with Cohen playing off Brazilian strikers Luis Edison and Jorginho in a 3-4-1-2 formation.
Birkirkara were probably the first Premier League team to play with three at the back in the last four years but coach Paul Zammit yesterday switched to a four-man defence. His tactical approach was 4-2-3-1 with Rafael Ledesma acting as attacking spearhead, Shola Shodiya Haruna and Edward Herrera on the wings and the energetic Ryan Scicluna roaming behind the main striker.
Dutch striker Nassir Maachi, and Bosnian goalkeeper Mirza Hamzabegovic, the Stripes’ latest signings, were left out of the 18-man squad.
After a low-key opening, Birkirkara appealed for a penalty when Haruna appeared to have been hauled down by Rodolfo Soares as the Nigerian moved to connect with Zach Muscat’s cross from the right but Farrugia Cann was unmoved.
The early exchanges were bereft of excitement with Hibs labouring to settle into their usual rhythm and Birkirkara struggling to make headway in attack.
On 20 minutes, Mendoza, who has been strongly linked with a move away from Birkirkara during this month’s transfer window, kept his composure to block a potentially dangerous run by Jorginho.
With the two teams careful not to commit men forward, creative football was at a premium for much of the opening half-hour. Zammit will have been pleased to see his team cut out the supply to Jorginho and Edison but their lack of an out-and-out striker limited their attacking threat.
The Stripes felt that they should have been awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box when Jonathan Pearson appeared to clatter into Muscat as the latter was about to shoot but the match officials saw nothing untoward.
Five minutes from half-time, Justin Haber, the Birkirkara goalkeeper, blocked Clayton Failla’s cross-shot.
A quick one-two between Ledesma and Haruna saw the latter drift into the box from the left but his low cross was intercepted by Agius.
The Stripes clearly needed Herrera and Haruna to flit into dangerous positions from their wide stations to pose more problems to Hibs who kept five at the back for most of the opening 40 minutes.
Ryan Camenzuli, Birkirkara’s left-back, speared his shot over the bar in the early stages of the second half.
Ineffective for most of the first half, Jorginho and Edison finally put some pressure on the Birkirkara defenders.
For once, the Stripes failed to stop a long ball from midfield and Jorginho turned before releasing Edison who was sent flying by Vukanac’s robust tackle but the referee deemed that the Serbian had made contact with the ball.
Hibs had another opportunity when Jorginho withstood the challenge of Mendoza before hitting a ferocious grounder but Haber pushed away for a corner.
The game sprung to life.
Jorginho teed up Edison ‘Tarabai’ but his drive was off target.
It was then Birkirkara’s turn to summon a good move. Camenzuli made progress on the left before hitting a low pass that was touched on by Scicluna but Haruna, ghosting in through the middle, miscued his effort.
Midway into the second half, Haruna muscled his way past Mbong and pulled the ball back for Camenzuli whose firm shot was deflected away for a corner.
Ledesma aimed his cross towards the near post but the sliding Scicluna could only flick the ball against the side-netting.
When Mendoza surrendered possession deep into his own half, danger loomed for Birkirkara as Edison sprinted towards the box but the Brazilian was upended by the Spaniard who was cautioned.
The booking would come back to haunt him in the dying stages.
Failla’s free-kick glanced off the defensive wall with the ball swirling towards Jorginho whose central header was blocked by Haber.
Birkirkara quickly switched the ball forward with Ledesma darting into the box but the back-tracking Mbong cleared the ball away for a corner.
Ledesma again took the corner, delivering a teasing cross that sparked a goalmouth melee but Vukanac was on hand to volley the ball past Henry Bonello to the unrestrained joy of the Birkirkara fans.
Nisevic responded with a double substitution as Jurgen Degabriele and Jackson Lima came on for Mbong and Johann Bezzina respectively.
In a move aimed at stiffening Birkirkara’s midfield, Edmond Agius replaced Haruna and, nine minutes from time, Zammit withdrew Ledesma in favour of Mateus Bissi, leaving Eliandro, who had replaced Herrera, alone up front.
Five minutes from time, Cohen went close to an equaliser but his free-kick ricocheted off the bar.
The leaders stirred. Cohen’s free-kick was met by Lima but his header was wide.
In stoppage time, Birkirkara were reduced to 10 men after Mendoza was shown a second yellow card for fisting the ball away from the advancing Jorginho.
Cohen marched towards the ball as goalkeeper Bonello went up for the free-kick.
The ploy worked as Bonello’s presence unnerved Birkirkara and Agius met Cohen’s cross with a downward header that had the better of Haber, sending the Hibs fans into raptures.
Birkirkara
J. Haber-6.5, E. Herrera-6 (73 Eliandro), N. Vukanac-8, S.S. Haruna-6.5 (79 E. Agius), R. Ledesma-7 (81 M. Bissi), G. Sciberras-6.5, Z. Muscat-7, P. Fenech-6.5, R. Camenzuli-7, R. Scicluna-6, A. Mendoza.
Hibernians
H. Bonello-5.5, J. Pearson-6, R. Soares-5.5, A. Cohen-6, B. Kristensen-7, C. Failla-5.5, J. Bezzina-6 (80 J. Lima), A. Agius-7.5, L. Edison-5.5, J. Mbong-6 (80 J. Degabriele), Jorginho-6.
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann.
Yellow cards: Haruna; Mendoza; Failla; Fenech; Muscat.
Red card: Mendoza (B) 90+.
BOV player of the match: Nikola Vukanac (Birkirkara).
Attendance: 1,757.
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Hibernians | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 11 | 56 |
| Birkirkara | 20 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 20 | 41 |
| Valletta | 19 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 46 | 14 | 40 |
| Balzan | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| Floriana | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 38 | 27 |
| Mosta | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 40 | 24 |
| Sliema W. | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 24 | 23 |
| Naxxar L. | 19 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 18 |
| Qormi | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 33 | 17 |
| Tarxien R. | 19 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 17 |
| Pietà H. | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 32 | 17 |
| Żebbuġ R. | 19 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 46 | 12 |