BOV Premier League - Hibernians FC 0-1 Birkirkara FC

by Ayrton Galea - 6th October 2019

Birkirkara FC registered their first victory in the BOV Premier League as a goal by Federico Falcone enabled them to defeat Hibernians FC with a narrow 1-0 score.

A long wait for the first victory came to an end as the Stripes defeated Hibernians to register a vital morale-boosting win just before the international break.

The Stripes produced a collective performance and their victory, which could have been bigger, was a deserved one as they also completed their first clean-sheet of the season.

Coach Andre Paus trusted his first-eleven selection of the last match as Falcone started as centre-forward supported by Alba and Rocha on the wings.

The Birkirkara Coach was still without the services of Johann Bezzina, Matthew Guillaumier and Yannick Yankam who are still ruled-out injured.

The First Half

Hibernians threatened after five minutes. Leonardo Nanni failed to connect by inches an inviting low cross by Terrence Groothusen. 

The Paolites were on the attack again in the sixteenth minute. Nanni showed fine technical skills to avoid two players before his shot from outside the box was easily saved by Hogg. 

The Stripes began to step up their match and went close on the twenty-first when Alba beat the offside trap and rounded the goalkeeper, but misjudged his pass to Vella to lose a fine scoring chance.

Caio Rocha went close to put the Stripes ahead on the twenty-sixth minute when he profited from a mistake by Calleja Cremona who didn't hold the ball, but his uprising shot ended just over the bar.  

Six minutes later it was Hibernians who almost surged ahead. Nanni's close-range shot was blocked by Hogg and from the rebound, the same player's inviting cross failed to be connected by Groothusen. 

The Stripes surged ahead on the thirty-seventh minute. Rocha supplied an excellent through-ball towards the on-running Falcone who out-muscled Agius and kept his calm to drill a low shot past Calleja Cremona.

The Second Half

The Stripes should have doubled their lead four minutes inside the second half.  Alba sent an inch-perfect through-ball to Rocha who rounded the Hibs' goalkeeper but lost his balance before he could conclude his action in an empty net.

Hibernians replied two minutes later when off a short corner, Joseph Mbong had a fierce shot from inside the box missing the target from a good position.

Hibernians' coach Stefano Sanderro introduced forward Imanol Iriberri instead of defender Timothy Tabone Desira as the Hibernians coach sought to put more numbers forwards. 

Andre Paus, the Birkirkara coach, made his reply eight minutes later when he roped in Michael Mifsud off Miguel Alba for a fresh pair of legs upfront.

The Stripes went close to double their lead on the eighty-fourth minute when off a free-kick from the right, the ball crossed across the goal with Pepe fails to connect from close-range.

Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg produced a brilliant save one minute from time as the Birkirkara goalkeeper had to be alert to tip into a corner a fierce deflected shot by Terrence Groothusen.

Hibernians finished the match with ten players as deep into stoppage time, Joseph Mbong was shown a controversial straight red card on what the referee adjudicated a foul outside the box on Maurizio Vella.

Caio Rocha was named the BOV Player of the Match
HIBERNIANS: Matthew Calleja Cremona, Timothy Tabone Desira (62' Imanol Iriberri), Ferdinando Apap, Joseph Essien Mbong, Jake Grech, Terrence Groothusen, Bjorn Kristensen (74' Myles Beerman), Dunstan Vella, Gabriel Izquier Artiles (90' Charles Buaku Atsina), Andrei Agius, Leonardo Nanni.

BIRKIRKARA: Andrew Hogg, Enrico Pepe, Maurizio Vella, Kurt Zammit, Roderick Briffa, Federico Falcone, Cain Attard, Caio Rocha (90+3' Tarabai), Oscar Matias Carniello, Miguel Alba (71' Michael Mifsud), Ryan Fenech. 

Referee: Alan Mario Sant.
Assistant Referees: Luke Portelli, Paul Apap.
Fourth Official: Mario Apap. 

Yellow Cards: 67' Bjorn Kristensen, 79' Leonardo Nanni, 81' Andrei Agius, 84' Myles Beerman (Hibernians), 45' Ryan Fenech, 53' Kurt Zammit, 82' Federico Falcone, 90+1' Cain Attard (Birkirkara).

Scorers:37' Federico Falcone (Birkirkara).

BOV Player of the Match:  Caio Rocha (Birkirkara).

Photo: Dominic Borg.

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