Hibernians 2
Soares 23; Failla 27;
Floriana 2
Pisani 19; Coronado 78;
A fine Igor Coronado goal earned Floriana a well-deserved point against leaders Hibernians in a hard-fought encounter at the Tedesco Stadium yesterday.
It was a deserved result for the spirited Greens who matched their more-quoted opponents in every department.
Although Hibernians boast a more skilful set of players in terms of technique and experience, Floriana bridged that gap with grit and determination as they worked tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes to contain their opponents’ threat.
When it came to pushing men forward Floriana relied on the attacking genius of Coronado as the nippy Brazilian set up his team’s opening goal and then scored a fine equaliser.
Hibs will surely feel disappointed to have dropped two points.
The Paolites seemed to have done enough to win this match when quick-fire goals midway through the first half put them in the driving seat.
However, the league leaders failed to add a third that would have killed off their opponents and in the end they had to settle for a second successive draw that leaves them just two points clear of nearest rivals Valletta.
Hibernians had combative midfielder Zoran Levnaic back from suspension but defender Ryan Camilleri was not fit enough to play.
In his absence Matthew Tabone was handed a starting berth while Jean Paul Farrugia led the Paolites’ forward line as Luis Edison was serving a one-match ban.
Ian Dawes was boosted by the recovery of central defenders Ibok Edet and Gary Roberts as the Floriana coach could confirm the same 11 players that started the 2-1 win over Mosta last week.
A short back-pass from Tabone almost gifted Floriana an early goal but luckily for the Paolites goalkeeper Mario Muscat char-ged out of his lines to block the goal-bound Steve Pisani.
The match started briskly with Floriana holding themselves well against a Hibernians team that, at times, looked struggling for pace.
Floriana were on target on 18 minutes when the hard-working Coronado exploited Hibs’ poor positioning in defence to slid the ball into the path of Pisani who beat Muscat from close in.
However, Hibernians took just four minutes to draw level. They won a free-kick in mid-pitch and Clayton Failla’s delivery was met by Rodolfo Soares whose header finished in the back of the net.
Hibs continued to grow in stature and soon surged ahead as Farrugia muscled his way past Gary Roberts before serving Failla who blasted home.
Floriana tried to regroup after that double blow but for all their efforts they rarely threatened Muscat’s goal as Hibs were now in command.
In fact, the Paolites almost added a third goal on the stroke of half-time when Jackson Lima picked Cohen in the area but his header lacked power to trouble Daniel Handford.
Floriana started the second half brightly and on 50 minutes they were awarded a free-kick from which Coronado’s effort finished just wide.
Hibs hit back on 62 minutes when Cohen showed some deft footwork to turn past Edet but his shot was pushed away by Handford.
At the other end, Muir tried his luck from the distance but with scant reward.
Hibs coach Branko Nisevic then looked to strengthen his rearguard when he withdrew Dias and roped in the more defensive Matthew Bartolo.
Floriana were showing a lot of desire but were simply lacking a cutting edge upfront.
But, as normaly happens when the Greens are found wanting, it’s always Coronado who delivers the goods.
With 12 minutes to go, the Brazilian did well to move past Soares before planting the ball beyond Muscat’s reach.
Lima unleashed a powerful drive that was neutralised by Handford late on as Hibs pushed forward in numbers in search of a last-gasp winner.
Four minutes from time Bartolo picked Cohen inside the Floriana box but he shot straight into the hands of Handford from a good position.
Hibernians
M. Muscat-6, M. Tabone-6, J. Pearson-6.5 (84 O. Obiefule), J. Lima-6, R. Soares-6.5, M. Dias-6 (70 M. Bartolo), A. Cohen-6, B. Kristensen-6, C. Failla-6.5, Z. Levnaic-6, J.P. Farrugia-5.
Floriana
D. Handford-6, I. Edet-6.5, S. Pisani-6, G. Roberts-7, C. Caruana-5.5, I. Coronado-7.5, C. Borg-6, J. Borg-6, B. Farrugia-6.5 (90 L. Casha), G. Muir-6, S. Borg-6.
Referee: Philip Farrugia.
Yellow cards: B. Farrugia, Levnaic, Roberts, Edet, Failla.
BOV Player of the match: Igor Coronado (Floriana).
Attendance: 941.
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Hibernians | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 23 |
| Valletta | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 21 |
| Birkirkara | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 20 |
| Sliema | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 18 |
| Naxxar Lions | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Mosta | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Tarxien | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 8 |
| Balzan | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 8 |
| Vittoriosa | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 8 |
| Qormi | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 7 |
| Floriana (-6) | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 6 |
| Rabat Ajax | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 3 |