QORMI-1, HIBERNIANS-3
Hibs outclassed Qormi in a one-sided FA Trophy final this evening to win the KO competition for the ninth time in their history.
A sizeable crowd gathered at the National Stadium for this eagerly-awaited final but expectations of a balanced, thrilling encounter failed to materialise as Hibs were in command from start to finish.
Qormi's superb victory over champions Valletta in the semi-finals had raised optimism about their chances of winning their first major trophy but Stephen Azzopardi's men were swept aside by Hibs whose supremacy was such that they were already 3-0 up by the 48th minutes thanks to Jackson Lima's brace and Clayton Failla's opener from a penalty.
After finishing second to rivals Valletta in the league, Hibs have thus ended a hugely positive season on a top note. Their Trophy success also capped an extraordinary three weeks for stand-in coaches Richard Mercieca and Ndubisi Chukunyere who took over after the departure of Mark Miller.Hibs made their attacking intentions clear from the outset.
After six minutes, Kris Thackray almost committed an own goal as he tried to head away a dangerous cross from Edward Herrera but luckily for the Qormi defender, goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia pushed the ball away.The loose ball dropped to Jackson Lima but his shot was blocked by Jonathan Bondin.
With the attacking quarter of Andrew Cohen, Clayton Failla, Herrera and Lima moving around the pitch with intent and striker Luis Edison 'Tarabai' full of intelligent running, Hibs began to dominate.Lima's long-range free-kick soared through a sea players and towards Rodolfo Soares whose sliced header was kept out by Farrugia.
On another occasion, Cohen advanced on the left before serving Tarabai who slipped past Thackray but Farrugia dived at the feet of the Brazilian to divert the ball away for a corner.Hibs continued to create wave after wave of attacks. Midway through the first half, Cohen's pass found Tarabai who managed to hold off Farrugia but Qormi defender Roderick Sammut slid in to close down the Hibs striker.
Lima's swerving drive ended just over and Herrera hit the side-netting with an angled drive but, four minutes past the half-hour, Hibs forged ahead. They were awarded a penalty after Qormi's Joseph Chetcuti floored Tarabai after the latter had been sent through by Failla.
The same Failla made no mistake from the spot.Uplifted by their goal, Hibs stayed on the attack, forcing a string of corners. From one of them, Bjorn Kristensen's backheader from Lima's cross was deflected over the bar.Hibs didn't have to wait long for their second, Jackson Lima scoring with a stunning piledriver that gave Farrugia no chance.
Within three minutes of the start of the second half, Jackson Lima delivered further proof of his shooting prowess as he got Hibs' third with another perfectly-flighted drive from the distance.
Qormi coach Stephen Azzopardi tried to bolster his side's defensive lines when bringing on Kenneth Scicluna for Chetcuti and moving Thackray into midfield.Qormi had the ball in the net through Jorginho but the Brazilian had fallen offside as he received the through-pass.Midway into the second half, Failla's angled drive from the left wing almost surprised Farrugia who managed to touch the ball away and Tarabai mishit his attempt.
Hibs threatened to go 4-0 up when Andrew Cohen broke clear on the counter and passed to Tarabai but the Brazilian's grounder was saved by Farrugia.In the final 10 minutes, Jorginho's swerving drive finished over and Qormi captain Joseph Farrugia's free-kick ended wide.
As Hibs switched to cruise mode, Qormi saw more of the ball but their attacks were confused. Triston Caruana had a free-kick saved by Muscat and Bello-Osagie rifled over from the edge of the box.
They managed to score a consolation goal in stoppage time thanks to Farrugia whose first-time volley had the better of Muscat.
Hibs almost restored their three-goal advantage when Marcelo Dias dragged the ball back for Cohen but his screamer was deflected away for a corner.