Sliema Wanderers were the last team to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the FA Trophy after defeating Hibernians on penalties. Following a goalless 120 minutes, the Wanderers scored their first four penalties while the Paolites missed two, scoring one.

The Paolites are the third Premier League side to fall at the feet of the Wanderers after the latter had eliminated St. Andrews and Ħamrun Spartans in the previous round.

This quarter-final promised to be a most balanced affair considering that just six points separate the two teams in the BOV Premier League table. Both teams had high hopes of advancing to the next stage as both lost ground in the race for the Premier League title.

However the game turned out into a drab encounter with few shots at goal throughout the 90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra-time.

In the penalty shoot-out, Frank Temile scored the first penalty for Sliema but Jackson Lima hit wide for the Paolites; Matias Muchardi scored a second for Sliema and Johann Bezzina reduced the gap for Hibernians; Peter Xuereb made no mistake to put the Blues 3-1 ahead with Jorginho hitting high for Hibs. Michele Sansone scored the fourth and decisive penalty which sparked scenes of joy among his team mates and Sliema supporters present at the National Stadium.

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