by Hibernians’ Martina Borg & Inter Women’s Gianpiero Piovani gave their view of Tuesday’s proceedings at the Tony Bezzina Stadium following Inter’s victory over Hibernians, in view of the impact of decisions in the match and its bearing on long-term objectives. Haley Bugeja was elated by the team’s performance, while weighing in on a dream realised and her hopes of the wider impact of the match on the future of the game.
Piovani Happy With Squad As Borg Bittersweet On Opportunities
Inter saw away Hibernians with two exceptional halves in which both sides rotated almost the entire squad in search of building minutes ahead of the return to league action.
Martina Borg expected nothing less than the strength shown by Inter, but admitted to have wished that her team made more of opportunities created in the context of play and the counter-attacking gameplan, “I think to get close to their goal three times in the opening half was something positive. Maybe we were a bit careless in finishing, but in truth I really hoped the team wouldn’t leave Sylivia (Kabene) so isolated and unfortunately that’s what happened. Maybe the team was a bit too cautious in wanting to avoid conceding, which maybe cost us in those moments.”
The Hibernians’ coach heaped praised on the Ugandan, “I think she had a very good match and she tried her best. It’s a shame she didn’t manage to convert, because I think it would have lifted spirits, but I think she really did her best in the match.”
Questioned about the selections and plan for rotations Borg admitted to having to adapt considering Piovani’s decisions, “I think I was a bit surprised that they fielded maybe more players who are usually on the bench at the start and this complicated things for the second because I knew we would get hit with more strength. Even so, I tried to focus on giving as many of my players exposure and an opportunity, even if I still ended up keeping four on the bench. In those moments you try give opportunity but must also keep the balance. There’s always things you can do better and I wish I could give more opportunity, but at the same time you try to weigh everything in those moments as best you can.”
Her counterpart Gianpiero Piovani gave no detail on the decision of who made the start, but underlined the desire to utilise the maximum of his squad in search of preparing the team for the return to action, “We wanted to give minutes to as many players as possible. We will have the same approach when we play against Lumezzane (leaders in Serie B) over the weekend, with the target of giving our players the most match practice in preparation of the return to the league match against Juventus.”
Piovani was positive in his thoughts of the camp in Malta, “It helped us a lot, especially because it is snowing in Milan which would have disrupted our ability to train. We had good weather and conditions here so that helped us to get back to shape.”
Speaking in view of their objectives for the season, “We came in second last year, so of course the objective is to go one better” he chuckled. “However, I also want my team to play entertaining football and be a threat, most importantly to develop our players to become even better. Today we had a lot of young players playing against Hibernians and they were given a chance to grow and this is the target. Of course if we can reach the target earlier, then it’s even better.”
Heartfelt Full Circle Moment For Bugeja
Though still just 21 years old, Haley Bugeja’s story in football was at the epicentre of Tuesday’s encounter. Inter’s coach, Gianpiero Piovani was questioned on his views of the youngster given her rise under his guidance with Sassuolo in her first foray away from Maltese shores, and now at Inter.
Piovani beamed with pride as he said, “Today we gave her the captain’s armband because we knew this is a special occasion. I am very happy with her progress from Sassuolo and also now with Inter. I look forward to seeing her progress further.”
Haley Bugeja’s return to play on home soil in club colours proved to be a memorable one, with the youngster bagging a hat-trick on the night inside the opening 45 minutes.
Reflecting on the match in view of the season, Bugeja flashed a composed smile, “It’s good to be back with the team and of course special to play here in Malta with my club. I feel like I’ve been waiting for a long time for this and I think it was a nice experience for everyone involved. Hopefully not the last one as well, and now looking forward to continue working with the team and build on the form that we are showing.”
Hopes Of The Impact Of The Match On The Game & Its Stars
The attendance number itself remains unknown, with no official value provided at the time of writing. However, there’s no doubt that it was a bigger than average crowd that showed up at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.
Martina Borg was surprised, but happy, to see the faces show up in support, “I’ll be honest I was surprised at the turnout because we didn’t promote the match much. I think it was a positive thing for players to play in front of a sizeable crowd. They work a lot and they deserve to play in front of a crowd like that. One must consider that we have only four players who are professional in our team and played against a fully professional side. So, we must take everything into consideration, and though I still wish we had an overall better result, I think we must focus on the positives and push forward.”
With her name chanted across the stand as the Maltese forward walked off the pitch, Haley Bugeja was questioned on her thoughts about the relevance of such a match for the women’s game and her hopes. She weighed in, “I think Hibernians have a lot of young players and I think they can learn a lot from this match. I know obviously the score isn’t flattering for them, but at the same time maybe everyone knew what everyone was going into, but I think I hope that overall it was a nice experience for everyone.”
Eyeing the hope for the wider impact of the match, Bugeja finished, “I think it’s positive to see so many people and so many young kids in the stands and hopefully they aspire to play football professionally one day. I am glad that maybe today we gave them a vision of what it takes and what one needs to become a professional footballer. Overall I think it was a good night for everyone I’m sure.”
Hibernians’ youngsters returned to league action on Wednesday against Valletta in the Assikura Women’s Youth League as they bid to bring home the trophy with a healthy lead already built. The senior side is in second place with work to do to reduce an eight-point gap to Mgarr United. They will return to league action in an afternoon kick-off (14:00) on Saturday 17th at the Charles Abela Stadium against Birkirkara.
Inter Women will play another friendly against Lumezzane, before eyeing the clash against Juventus on the 18th January in an evening kick-off at 18:00.
Lead Image: Brandon Bonett
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