Watch: Floriana, Hibernians share point apiece in hard-fought encounter

FLORIANA 1-1 HIBERNIANS
Franklin Sasere 50 (F); Alex Bruno 81 (H).

Floriana and Hibernians shared the spoils in one of the weekend’s standout encounters.

The Greens now sit in fourth place with nine points, having recorded two wins and three draws, while Hibernians remain just one point behind, holding sixth place after securing their second draw of the season.

Floriana’s Franklin Sasere continued his impressive form, netting his fourth Premier League goal in as many appearances.

Meanwhile, Brazilian forward Alex Bruno added to his tally for Hibernians, scoring his second goal of the 2024/2025 campaign.

In the early stages of the match, both teams approached each other with caution, resulting in a lack of clear-cut opportunities.

Floriana’s Jake Grech produced the first chance with a long-range effort, but it was comfortably blocked by Hugo Sacco.

The first half continued to see limited chances as both defenses stood firm.

Just after the half-hour mark, Hibernians attempted to break the deadlock with a free-kick, but goalkeeper Mafoumbi dealt with it comfortably.

Floriana thought they had taken the lead when Carlo Zammit Lonardelli headed past Sacco, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Later, Higor Gabriel came close with a shot from close range, narrowly missing Mafoumbi’s goal following a corner-kick situation.

At halftime, neither team opted for changes, as both coaches maintained faith in their starting lineups to inject life into the game—something Floriana’s Franklin Sasere managed to do brilliantly.

Picking up the ball around 30 meters from Hibernians’ goal, Sasere unleashed a thunderous strike that stunned Sacco, undoubtedly a contender for goal of the season.

However, Floriana suffered a setback after an hour when captain Oualid El Hasni was shown a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity to Natha Carvalho.

In response, Floriana coach Darren Abdilla promptly made a tactical adjustment, substituting forward Kemar Reid for defender Guy Yameogo to shore up his defense.

Hibernians then began to press for an equalizer, with midfielder Ayrton Attard forcing a fine save from Mafoumbi.

Coach Branko Nisevic introduced Jurgen Degabriele and Giannis Bastianos to increase the attacking threat, and their efforts paid off when Alex Bruno’s shot found the net, leveling the score with just 10 minutes remaining.

With a numerical advantage, Hibernians pushed for a late winner. However, in stoppage time, they too were reduced to 10 men when Higor Gabriel received a second yellow card, ending the match with both sides down to ten players.