by Late drama saw Hibernians defeat Swieqi United by 2-1 in the former’s final match of the league. A brace by captain Martina Borg gave the victory to Hibs, while Salamatu Abdulai got Swieqi’s response. The defeat means that Swieqi relinquish the title to leaders Birkirkara.
Team News
Swieqi played with a significant difference up top as league top-scorer Jade Flask seems to still be unavailable following the injury sustained against Mgarr United before the international break. Instead, Judith Kuipers opted to play Salamatu Abdulai up front, with Mariah Sciberras and Jade Schembri occupying the wings. Rebecca Atinga, Shona Zammit and Dorianne Theuma occupied the midfield. Kuipers opted for a back four of Emma Xuereb, Jessica Dimech, Rafanny Mendoca Abache and Mandy Debono, who protected Cynthia Konlan in goal.
On the other hand, Hibs’ coach Keith Gouder chose a similar line-up to the one that did well against Birkirkara recently. Raisa Costantino sat in goal, behind a back four consisting of Chloe Ellul, Emma Zammit, Amy Busuttil and Alessia Caschetto. Nicole Sciberras and Kayleigh Chetcuti started in central midfield, with Yolande Attard and Cristina Hili on the wings. Captain Martina Borg occupied the number ten role behind Alexis Espitia.
Two Posts Deny Swieqi the Lead
It was a cagey first few minutes however, as the half progressed Swieqi grew dominant in attack. However, Hibs had enough answers in defence to keep them at bay. In midfield, Kayleigh Chetcuti and Nicole Sciberras also attempted to disrupt the flow in Swieqi’s attack.
Despite this, Shona Zammit came close with a header from a set-piece in the 12th minute but her effort sailed just above the crossbar. Meanwhile, Swieqi’s appeals for a penalty shortly after the 20-minute mark were waived by the referee who rejected claims that the Hibs defence had handled the ball following another of Shona Zammit’s strikes.
The best chance of the half came on the stroke of half-time when Jessica Dimech hit the post following a free-kick delivery by Dorianne Theuma, sending the teams into the break still locked level.
Half-Time Score: Swieqi 0 – 0 Hibernians
Both sides came out for the second half with renewed vigour and a tighter game-plan. Swieqi replaced long shots with crosses and slicker short passes. A cut-back from the left wing almost got them in front as Dorianne Theuma made a late run into the near post, but she too struck the post amid the flurry of white shirts occupying the box.
Hibs almost played themselves into trouble shortly after, but the defence cleared the ball just in time before Mariah Sciberras had a chance to capitalise. Salamatu Abdulai had a chance to put Swieqi into the lead after her run was picked out well by Emma Xuereb. However, the forward’s touch took her wide and ultimately Costantino had her angles covered.
Hibs Take the Lead
Despite not having too many chances, Hibs grew more dangerous as the game wore on and captain Martina Borg broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, with Alexis Espitia grabbing the assist. It was efficient play as Chloe Ellul launched the ball from the back to find Espitia’s run behind the defence. The forward played a low cross into the six-yard box and Borg tapped the ball into the net to the delight of Hibs’ crowd.
Tensions rose to a greater degree with Hibs looking to hold on to the lead while Swieqi were desperate to find the equalising goal. The officials had a bit of a mess on their hands shortly after as players started dropping to the floor on both sides. Miscommunication between the officials led to Hibs medics appearing on the pitch before being sent back out, but the referee did well to regain control of the situation before resuming play.
Equaliser and Penalty
Despite this, Swieqi kept their heads and Salamatu Abdulai equalized in the 75th minute. Jade Schembri played a through ball getting Swieqi’s number 11 behind the defence and into the box. Abdulai struck the ball hard and although Raisa Costantino got a hand on it, the striker was not to be denied.
However, the renewed deadlock did not last long as Alexis Espitia made another darting run upfield and was seemingly clipped on the byline, which prompted the referee to point to the spot. Martina Borg struck into the bottom right corner, wrong-footing Swieqi’s goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan and getting Hibs back into the lead.
At this point Hibs shored up their defence and managed the game, doing their best to frustrate Swieqi. Keith Gouder opted to bring on Sarah Urpani in midfield, whilst also switching to a back-three with Nicole Sciberras sitting in between the two centre-backs Emma Zammit and Amy Busuttil.
The full-time whistle sounded to roaring celebrations from Hibs’ crowd as the team bowed out from this season’s Assikura Women’s League with a hard-fought victory. On the other hand, it is one to forget for Swieqi who rue the missed opportunities and whose defeat means that they relinquish the title to Birkirkara.
League Standings & Fixtures
The victory pushes Hibs into third place but with games in hand over Mgarr United and Raiders Lija. Mgarr United have a doubleheader against Mtarfa which puts them in a favourable position for a strong finish. The first of the two matches will be played on Wednesday 19th April at 8:30 pm at the Mgarr Ground.
Meanwhile, Raiders Lija will sink their teeth into their final two fixtures against the top two in the league. On Wednesday they will face league leaders Birkirkara at 8 pm at the Centenary Stadium, before facing Swieqi next week.
Photo: Chiara Faedo Ph
