Valletta may have dominated the football agenda with their relentless drive to enhance the quality of their championship-winning squad as well as their pursuit of the record for the longest unbeaten streak in the league but Hibs stole the Citizens’ thunder on Sunday.
Luis Edison, aka Tarabai, did the damage for Valletta as the Brazilian hot shot scored a brace to ensure that Hibs’ name was not erased from the record books, albeit they share the honour with Valletta who, in their previous outing, had equalled the 37-match unbeaten run set by the Paolites in the early eighties.
It was a case of triple delight for Hibs and their fans as they defended their record, stretched their own unbeaten start to the season and inflicted Valletta’s first league defeat since March 28, 2010.
For Hibs captain Mario Muscat, the team’s performance on Sunday vindicated the club’s off-season efforts to reinforce the squad.
“In the summer, the club brought in some new players with the aim of bolstering the squad,” Muscat said.
“Our first game against Valletta was an important test not only because of the record issue but also for classification purposes.
“Valletta had just matched the unbeaten league mark Hibs set some 30 years ago. The prospect of losing that record to Valletta intensified the pressure on us.
“Personally, this game was more important than our title decider against Valletta (2008/09) because there was a record at stake. Several clubs have won league titles but it’s very hard to go 37 matches without defeat.
“Only two clubs, Hibs and Valletta, have managed this feat in over 100 years of football in Malta.
“The match was characterised by that early goal. We opted for a more prudent approach after taking the lead but in the first half, we created enough chances to close the match.”
Hibs and Valletta seldom fail to offer exciting fare when they share a pitch and their growing rivalry has further raised the competitive edge.
This was evident on Sunday as their first-round clash resembled a do-or-die cup tie which produced four red cards.
“In the last few years, most of our games against Valletta have been exciting affairs,” Muscat said. “As players, we were determined to rise to the occasion in order to confirm the team’s positive moment.
“Valletta had won their opening four games but with all respect, they hadn’t faced one of the so-called top teams whereas we had already played against the likes of Sliema Wanderers and Birkirkara.
“We were keen to show our strength by producing a very good performance and we did that. Valletta put us under a lot of pressure in the second half but we held firm.”
Victory over Valletta ought to have given Muscat added satisfaction in light of the verbal abuse he gets from the fans every time Hibs play the Citizens but the veteran goalkeeper played down talk of revenge.
“I’m satisfied because the win was important for the team,” Muscat said. “There is no personal agenda from my side, it’s a game like the others but I’m happy because with the three points we have gained, Hibs are leading the table.
“I take the opportunity to thank our fans because they were our driving force on Sunday.”
While Hibs’ foremost goal is to secure a place in the Championship Pool, Valletta’s stated objective is to retain the league crown but this defeat is a reality check for the champions who lost Gilbert Agius, Steve Borg and Ryan Fenech to straight red cards on Sunday.
“We were aware of the importance of our game against Hibs as there was a record on the line,” Valletta coach Jesmond Zerafa said.
“I’m disappointed not because we’ve lost but because our performance on the day was poor. Although we didn’t play well, we were still the better team for long spells but to finish the game with eight players was very frustrating.
“I feel for our fans. They give a lot to this club and they believed that the team could set a new record for number of unbeaten games but we failed to give them what they wanted.
“We had a bad game but we shouldn’t allow one defeat to disrupt our progress.”
Edison’s third-minute goal was arguably the defining moment of the game as it not only lifted Hibs’ confidence but left Valletta facing an uphill task. Zerafa insisted the early goal is no excuse for his team’s disjointed showing.
“The first goal influenced the game but we still had plenty of time to recover,” Zerafa said. “But, the players became very nervous and that complicated matters for us.”
Coupled with injuries to striker Michael Mifsud and Brazilian defender Ramon, the red cards to Agius, Borg and Fenech will put a tremendous strain on Zerafa’s resources for Saturday’s game against Mqabba but the Valletta coach is upbeat.
“Firstly, we must put this game behind us as quickly as possible,” Zerafa said. “We have to accept defeat and move on.
“We will have several important players missing but I believe the depth of our squad will allow us to send out a competitive team.”
Hibernians enjoyed a super Sunday as they consigned rivals Valletta to their first defeat in 18 months.
Luis Edison dos Santos, better known as Tarabai, took centre-stage as he scored both goals in a deserved 2-0 win that extended Hibs’ unbeaten start to five matches and prevented Valletta from setting a new record of 38 league matches without defeat.
After four wins on the trot, Valletta fancied their chances of prolonging their unbeaten run but their optimism turned into despair as they not only lost to their rivals but ended the match with eight men.
A tension-filled encounter produced no fewer than four red cards, two in each half.
Gilbert Agius was sent off for a poor tackle on Andrew Cohen on 33 minutes and Hibs’ left-back Adrian Pulis followed the City captain to the dressing rooms after earning a red card for two bookable offences late in the first half.
With Hibs leading 1-0, Valletta attacked with abandon in search of an equaliser but their task became impossible when Steve Borg was shown a straight red for a last-man foul on Edison and Ryan Fenech suffered the same fate for protests.
Floriana are now sharing second place with Valletta after they trounced Marsaxlokk 4-0 on Friday. A brace from Christian Caruana and goals from Ivan Woods and John Mintoff handed the Greens a deserved win over the dispirited Marsaxlokk.
Sliema Wanderers also maintained their bright start to the season after edging Birkirkara 1-0. Nigerian forward Jerry Ani scored the winner for the Blues who are still unbeaten after five games while Birkirkara slipped to their second defeat in the last three matches.
Qormi moved into the top half of the table after a thrilling 3-2 win over neighbouring rivals Ħamrun Spartans.
A keenly-contested derby looked set to finish 2-2 as the Spartans twice hit back to level matters but Qormi took the three points thanks to a late penalty which was converted by captain Joseph Farrugia.
Luke Sciberras gave Qormi an eighth-minute lead but Massimo Grima equalised on the stroke of half-time. Nigerian Daniel Nwoke, making his debut for Qormi, put his team 2-1 up on 63 minutes but Kevin Sammut looked to have earned the Spartans a point 13 minutes from the end before Farrugia scored the winner at the death.
Tarxien Rainbows had to fight hard to gain their first victory as Brazilian Ricardo Costa scored the only goal in a 1-0 defeat of Mosta.
Mqabba came from behind to win the battle of the newcomers after beating Balzan Youths 2-1.
Miguel Ciantar fired Balzan ahead on the hour after receiving an excellent pass from Pedrinho but Balzan’s Brazilian playmaker spoiled his performance when he received a red card for elbowing Mark Anthony Psaila.
Having brought Mqabba on level terms on 74 minutes, Brazilian Thiago Mazzitelli hit the winning goal in the dying moments.
Premier League statistics
Scorers, red cards
Balzan Youths: Ciantar 2; Camilleri.
Red cards: Pedrinho (vs Qormi, vs Mqabba), Francica (vs Hibs).
Birkirkara: Avila 4; Cilia 2 (1 pen); Pereira.
Red card: Decesare (vs Mosta).
Floriana: Caruana 3; Woods 2; Cassar, Odwong, Mintoff.
Own goal: Everton (vs Tarxien).
Red card: Amamoo (vs Sliema Wanderers)
Ħamrun Spartans: Luis Silva, Grima, Sammut.
Red card: Agius (vs Balzan).
Hibernians: Edison 7; Failla 3; Caruana, Soares, Cohen.
Red card: Pulis (vs Valletta).
Marsaxlokk: Obiefule 5; Deanov 2; Farrugia.
Red card: Templeman (vs Hibernians).
Mosta: Zammit 2 (1 pen); Martin.
Own goal: Buhagiar (vs Birkirkara).
Mqabba: Mazzitelli 3; Mamic 2; Azzopardi.
Red card: Mazzitelli (vs Marsaxlokk).
Qormi: Farrugia 4 (2 pens), Jorge Pereira 3; Bello Osagie, Bartolo, Sciberras, Nwoke.
Sliema: Jorge 2, Mifsud Triganza 2; Lima, Scerri, Mitev, Bajada, Ani.
Red cards: Scerri (vs Hibs), Grech (vs Floriana), Mitev (vs Marsaxlokk).
Tarxien Rainbows: Ricardo 3; Bueno 2 (1 pen); Everton.
Red card: Anonam (vs Mosta).
Valletta: Effiong 4; Denni 2, Mifsud 2, Barbosa 2; Borg, Pace.
Red cards: G. Agius, Borg, Fenech (vs Hibs).
Current standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Hibernians | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 13 |
| Valletta | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 12 |
| Floriana | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 12 |
| Sliema | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 11 |
| Qormi | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
| Birkirkara | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Mqabba | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Marsaxlokk | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 4 |
| Balzan Youths | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| Tarxien | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| Ħamrun | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Mosta | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
Next fixtures
Friday (Hibs Stadium)
18.00 Qormi vs Floriana
20.00 Marsaxlokk vs Birkirkara
Saturday (National Stadium)
15.00 Sliema W. vs Balzan Y.
17.00 Mqabba vs Valletta
Sunday (National Stadium)
15.00 Mosta vs Ħamrun S.
17.00 Hibernians vs Tarxien R.