Hibernians 2
Giglio 30 og; Farrugia 43;
Balzan 0

With Balzan chasing a win to stay in the hunt for a Championship Pool berth, this was widely viewed as a potentially tricky fixture for title hopefuls Hibernians.

Valletta’s 6-0 mauling of Ħamrun Spartans meant that the Paolites went into yesterday’s match four points off the top but any fears that Hibs might find it hard to deal with the pressure were emphatically banished in a one-sided first half.

Tearing into Balzan from the outset, Hibs had the points sewn up by half-time as they scored two goals either side of Matthew Mendy’s dismissal for two cautions.

On their day, Balzan can make life difficult to any team in the Premier League but they were way off their best yesterday.

At first glance, it would seem that Mendy’s early exit was the game’s defining moment but Hibs were in command long before the out-of-sorts Gambian defender was given his marching orders.

Mendy had jeopardised his position early as he collected his first yellow card inside the opening minute. There was a sense of inevitability about his sending-off as Mendy looked tetchy thereafter, making a series of ill-timed tackles before a rash one on Andrew Cohen ended his afternoon.

With Balzan having trouble coping with Hibs’ movement, coach Ivan Zammit erred in not hauling off Mendy before his expulsion which further complicated matters for his team who struggled to overcome the loss to injury of Renie Forace and the absence of Brazilian playmaker Pedrinho.

Without Pedrinho, sidelined with injury, Balzan are not the same proposition.

If Hibs were ruthless in exploiting Balzan’s weaknesses in the opening 45 minutes, they switched to hold-what-you-have mode in a generally dull second half. The job had long been completed as Hibs’ foremost objective was to stay on Valletta’s heels.

What of Balzan? After their 1-1 draw with Rabat Ajax, this upset has effectively shattered their flickering top-six hopes.

Goalkeeper Mario Muscat was back in Hibs’ starting formation after being rested in the 4-0 FA Trophy win over Gudja United in midweek. The other change in Michael Woods’s line-up saw Brazilian striker Marcelo Dias replace compatriot Allan Kardeck who has been released from his contract.

Balzan were without Yessous Camilleri and Aaron Agius, both suspended, while Jonathan Francica was injured along with Pedrinho.

Stefan Giglio and new signing Firas Aboulezz were handed first-team roles as coach Zammit made two changes from the 3-2 win over Gżira United in the cup.

Hardly a minute from the start of the game had elapsed when right-back Mendy went into the referee’s book for a reckless challenge on the speeding Clayton Failla near the touchline.

From the ensuing free-kick, the ball dropped to Rodolfo Soares who released Jean Paul Farrugia but the latter’s rising effort was off target.

Balzan were lucky not to fall behind after eight minutes when another quick Hibs move saw Farrugia slip a through-pass to Failla and the latter’s cross-cum-shot from an angled position caressed the crossbar after taking a deflection.

The presence of creative elements such as Cohen, Jackson Lima and Failla in Hibs’ 4-1-4-1 selection gave them a distinct edge in the opening exchanges.

For Balzan, Christian Caruana played off lone striker Ryan Darmanin in a 3-4-1-1 formation.

It was not before the 16th minute that Balzan produced their first notable attack thanks mainly to Aboulezz whose surging run on the left unnerved the erstwhile untested Hibs defence.

Aboulezz’s pass from near the byline was flicked on by Darmanin but Jacob Borg’s scrambled shot was blocked.

Hibs didn’t take long to regain the upperhand. Dias darted into the box following a run from his right-midfield station but his cross found no takers.

Unimpressed by Balzan’s disjointed performance so far, Zammit urged his team to stop giving the ball away and “play some football” but it was Hibs who threatened again when Lima’s piledriver whistled past the upright.

Forace twice needed medical attention after being on the receiving end of two abrasive challenges from Dias and Ryan Camilleri.

Referee Trustin Farrugia Cann ruled that Camilleri’s intervention on Forace, who was then substituted by Clint Micallef, was legitimate, much to the dismay of Balzan whose frustration deepened moments later when Hibs opened the scoring.

Failla swung in a teasing cross from a right-wing free-kick and Giglio headed into his own net in an attempt to clear.

This came close to the half-hour mark. Two minutes later, Balzan were reduced to 10 men when the erratic Mendy earned his second booking for another mistimed tackle on Cohen.

Two minutes from half-time, Hibs extended their lead.

Racing onto a long pass from midfield, Farrugia shrugged off Renato Conceicao whose collision with the on-rushing goalkeeper Daniel Miguelez Martinez left the path clear for the Hibs striker.

Profiting from the fortuitous deflection, Farrugia only had to follow the ball before stroking it into the unguarded net.

At the start of the second half, Zammit brought on Bjorn Bondin for Conceicao.

Two goals to the good, Hibs seemed content to control the proceedings after the change of ends as the 10-man Balzan showed little attacking ambition. For much of the opening 20 minutes of the second half, the game resembled a friendly kickabout with Hibs dominating possession but their passing game failed to carve open the crowded Balzan rearguard.

On one occasion, Failla was high and wide with a long-range drive but that was the closest Hibs came to adding to their two-goal lead. They continued to toy with the subdued Balzan who, at least, managed to limit the damage after their first-half flop.

Hibernians
M. Muscat-6, A. Pulis-6 (63 A. Azzopardi-6), R. Camilleri-7, R. Soares-6.5, A. Cohen-7.5, C. Failla-7, Z. Levnaic-6.5, J. Lima-6.5 (81 J. Bezzina), B. Kristensen-7, M. Dias-6, J.P. Farrugia-6.5 (75 S. Pisani).

Balzan
D.M. Martinez-5, J. Borg-4, M. Mendy, S. Giglio-5, R. Conceicao-4 (46 B. Bondin-6), R. Forace-6 (33 C. Micallef-5.5), J. Pace-6, D. Grima-6, C. Caruana-5.5 (75 R. De Barros Consani), F. Aboulezz-6.5, R. Darmanin-4.

Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann.

Yellow cards: Mendy; Dias; Lima.

Red card: Mendy (B) 32.

BOV player of the match: Andrew Cohen (Hibernians).

Standings

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Valletta	20	12	6	2	45	14	42
Hibernians	20	13	2	5	44	24	41
Birkirkara	20	10	7	3	42	18	37
Sliema	20	9	4	7	29	20	31
Mosta	19	10	1	8	33	27	31
Tarxien	19	9	4	6	35	32	31
Balzan	20	7	5	8	31	32	26
Floriana	20	5	9	6	26	25	24
Qormi	19	7	3	9	27	30	24
Ħamrun	20	4	4	12	24	53	16
Melita	19	3	5	11	16	48	14
Rabat Ajax	20	0	8	12	13	42	8

Playing today
Tedesco Stadium: 6pm Melita vs Tarxien; 8.15pm Qormi vs Mosta.