Hibernians 0
Birkirkara 2
Mazzetti 28; Ledesma 69;

Birkirkara came good when it mattered most.

Taking on the erstwhile irrepressible Hibernians who had lost only one match on their way to winning the league title, Birkirkara were all too aware that they required an almost flawless showing to stand a chance of eclipsing the champions.

And this is exactly what they did yesterday.

Demonstrating admirable resilience and tactical cohesion, Birkirkara outsmarted Hibernians on the day, roaring to an emphatic 2-0 win that provided a fair reflection of their supremacy.

Backed by their boisterous supporters throughout, the Stripes flagged their intention to deny the Paolites space and time on the ball from the off.

Set out in a 4-1-4-1 formation by coach Paul Zammit, Birkirkara hounded Hibernians all over the pitch, pressing and defending in numbers and breaking forward at speed.

Their central defensive pairing of Mauricio Mazzetti, who netted the first-half opener, and Nikola Vukanac were immense, nullifying the threat of Jorginho who cut an isolated figure up front as Hibs laboured to push up in support of their striker.

The champions normally bank on the speedy incursions of Marcelo Dias and Clayton Failla to open up defences but their wingers were kept at bay by Zach Muscat and Joseph Zerafa who combined perfectly with Ryan Camenzuli and Edward Herrera. The latter put in a terrific shift, surging forward and tracking back to provide cover when Hibs attacked.

Zammit, the Birkirkara coach, clearly got his tactics right, outwitting his former assistant Branko Nisevic whose team’s lack of attacking bite must have had him pining for Luis Edison, now playing in South Korea.

The non-stop running of Camenzuli and Herrera stifled Hibs’ overlaps while in midfield the industrious trio of Paul Fenech, Rowen Muscat and Ryan Scicluna squeezed the space around Andrew Cohen and Bjorn Kristensen.

Hibernians had come into the match bristling with optimism of ending a 33-year wait for a league and cup double but they left the stadium with their heads down after failing to muster a notable scoring chance throughout the 90 minutes.

Indeed, there can have been no qualms about the legitimacy of the Stripes’ win which rewarded them with the fifth FA Trophy success in their history.

It made for a perfect parting gift for president Joe Zammit who announced afterwards that this was last his match at the helm of the club.

The Stripes’ victory was achieved in front of former Juventus striker Fabrizio Miccoli whose presence in the VIP zone, surrounded by Birkirkara officials, fuelled speculation about a possible move to the new FA Trophy winners next season.

Miccoli will have been suitably impressed with Birkirkara’s resilient showing but the irresponsible behaviour of scores of Stripes supporters threatened to dampen their celebrations yesterday.

As referee Andre Arciola sounded out the final whistle, they stormed on to the pitch. Some headed towards the other side of the enclosure to taunt their rivals supporters who responded by hurling seats. There were also scuffles on the pitch as some Hibs fans responded to the provocation by confronting their tormentors.

The police officers, who were clearly outnumbered, struggled to keep the fans apart, sparking fears of a mass brawl but players and officials from both clubs intervened to calm their fans.

The atmosphere had been electric from the start. A deafening roar accompanied the two teams’ entry into the stadium with the fans transforming their respective sections in the enclosure into a cauldron of colour and noise.

Nisevic kept faith with his tried-and-trusted elements, sending out the same team that eased to a 2-0 win over Qormi in the semi-finals.

The champions lined up in their familiar 3-5-1-1 formation with captain Cohen scuttling behind Jorginho and Kristensen at the tip of a five-man midfield.

The only change in Birkirkara’s initial XI from the 1-0 win over Valletta had been highly anticipated as Fenech was back in the mix.

Fenech, who scored Birkirkara’s extra-time winner in their semi-final, was preferred to Brazilian midfielder Mattheus Bissi.

Stripes coach Zammit stuck with Rafael Ledesma as the focal point in attack.

Arciola was confronted with a bout of pushing and shoving after just three minutes following a heated exchange between Mazzetti, the Birkirkara defender, and Dias, the Hibs’ wing-back.

When the tension abated, the referee opted to issue a verbal caution to Mazzetti and Dias.

Six minutes into the game, there was an anxious moment for Hibernians as Camenzuli’s cross from the left dropped into the six-yard box and Henry Bonello, under pressure from Ryan Scicluna, fumbled the ball before the defenders cleared.

Hibs also fashioned a glimmer of a chance at the other end as Jorginho darted past two Birkirkara defenders to reach a long ball but goalkeeper Justin Haber was quick off his line to quell the danger.

There was another contentious episode on 13 minutes as Hibs midfielder Jackson Lima appeared to kick out at Herrera as the latter picked himself up to take a throw-in. Amid the ensuing melee, Vukanac clashed with Failla, prompting Arciola to book the two players.

Surprisingly, Lima was not cautioned.

Jorginho’s willingness to run and harry the Birkirkara defenders kept Mazzetti and Vukanac on their toes.

Midway into the first half, Ledesma caught the eye as his deft turn and flick released the steaming Herrera on the right but the latter’s cross found no takers.

Another inviting opening for Birkirkara went abegging when Herrera, again profiting from the open space on the right, stumbled on the ball as he raced into the box, allowing Failla to clear.

Birkirkara struck on 28 minutes. Ledesma’s perfectly-flighted cross, from a left-wing free-kick, drifted past a posse of players and Mazzetti, left completely unmarked, controlled the ball before volleying past Bonello from point blank distance.

The Stripes faithful were delirious.

Hibernians’ attempts to make inroads in attack were being stymied by Birkirkara’s relentless pressing, especially in the wide areas where Failla and Dias were being pegged back by Herrera and Camenzuli.

When Mazzetti’s body charge felled Jorginho on the edge of the area, danger beckoned for Birkirkara as Hibs were awarded a free-kick from a dangerous position. Nothing came of it though as Rui De Gracia Gomes’s attempt to lift the ball over the wall was blocked.

The champions’ toils to get to grips with Birkirkara’s movement on the wings were laid bare again on the cusp of half-time when Rowen Muscat, charging forward from his central midfield station, cut in from the right but his low cross was hooked away by Johann Bezzina.

Birkirkara remained the brisker side after the change of ends. Seven minutes into the second half, Ledesma curled his free-kick past Hibs’ barrier but his effort was high.

Jorginho tried to breathe life into Hibs’ performance as the Brazilian, lurking in midfield, skipped past three players before switching the ball to Cohen on the right but his pass towards the overlapping Dias was cut out by the alert Zerafa.

A whiff of anticipation swept through the Hibs fans when Lima won a free-kick just outside the box after being fouled by Scicluna but Failla’s shot was too weak to trouble Haber.

Brazilian striker Liliu came on for Camenzuli on 64 minutes.

The afternoon got better for the Stripes as, with 21 minutes remaining, they extended their lead.

The usually reliable Hibs defence was again caught out as Zerafa’s low cross from the left seeped into the six-yard box and past the dithering Da Gracia Gomes whose hesitation was punished by Ledesma. He rifled the ball home from close in to make it 2-0.

Hibs teetered. They almost conceded again after Herrera’s cross from the right reached Fenech whose shot came off the upright.

Nisevic moved to strengthen his forward line, throwing on striker Marko Rajic for Da Gracia Gomes.

Twelve minutes from time, Cohen’s cross was met by Rodolfo Soares but the Brazilian’s header was wide.

That was that as Birkirkara easily held off Hibs’ half-hearted attempts to revive their hopes. In the end, the delighted Stripes supporters let out a guttural roar when Fenech lifted the FA Trophy.

Hibernians
H. Bonello, J. Lima, R. Da Gracia Gomes (73 M. Rajic), R. Soares, M. Dias (83 J. Mbong), A. Cohen, B. Kristensen, J. Bezzina, A. Agius, C. Failla, Jorginho.

Birkirkara
J. Haber, Z. Muscat, N. Vukanac, M. Mazzetti, J. Zerafa, P. Fenech, R. Ledesma (90 G. Sciberras), E. Herrera, R. Muscat, R. Camenzuli (64 Liliu), R. Scicluna (73 M. Bissi).

Referee: Andrè Arciola.

Yellow cards: Vukanac; Failla; Cohen; Mazzetti; R. Muscat.

Attendance: 6,288.

Aftermatch comments...

Joe Zammit (Birkirkara FC president) – “This is a very important win for us as we ended the season on a positive note.

“Winning the trophy brings with it great satisfaction. In my fourth year as club president, finally, Birkirkara won this competition which is very special for me.

“Tomorrow, the club turns a new leaf and the committee starts working on a new season.”

Paul Zammit (coach) – “At the start of the third round of the league championship we decided to take it game by game, building the momentum for the FA Trophy as this competition became our main objective when it became clear that Hibernians were unreachable at the top of the standings.

“Now, Birkirkara have to take all the positives from this success and build on it for the next campaign.”

Paul Fenech (captain) – “We never managed to lift ourselves to higher standards in the league but today we finished the season on a winning note.

“Incidentally, we had started the season on the right footing after winning Super Cup.”

Zach Muscat – “The club worked hard for this achievement. Thanks to this success in the Trophy we succeeded in wrapping up our season on a high after having a league campaign full of ups and downs.

“Beating Hibs today meant competitions this season were not dominated by one team only.”

Justin Haber – “I had a quiet afternoon today as we were very compact at the back. With all due respect to Hibernians, we adopted better tactics for this final and we countered every move they made.

“This was a deserved victory for Birkirkara.”

All-time list of Trophy winners

20 times - Sliema Wanderers
19 times - Floriana
13 times - Valletta
10 times - Hibernians
6 times - Ħamrun Spartans
5 times - Birkirkara
Once - Melita
Once - Rabat Ajax
Once - Gżira United
Once - Żurrieq