ŻABBAR ST PATRICK 2
Cejas 29
Gomes 79
HIBERNIANS 2
Kristensen 45
Cacho 56
ŻABBAR ST. PATRICK
L. Camilleri; A. Dumbyua, P. Cejas (82 Y. Im), B. Gambarte, J. Micallef (65 K. Scicluna), S. Jovancic, Z. Leonardi (65 S. Gomes), Vinicius, T. Brito (56 N. Agius), Mayron, M. Fontanella (56 H. Tchaouna).
HIBERNIANS
J. Haber; A. Silas (53 D. Xuereb), L. Villela (53 L. Caruana), Miullen, J. Degabriele (20 A. Bruno), B. Kristensen, J. Teixeira, A. Zammit (83 Charleston), P. Alves (83 D. Bonnici), P. Cacho, Pedrao.
Referee: Slobodan Petrovic.
Yellow cards: Kristensen, Teixeira, Cejas, Cacho, Agius.
Red card: Youngwon (Ż) 90.
Żabbar St. Patrick and Hibernians produced an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, with both sides leaving the pitch feeling a mix of relief and frustration.
For Żabbar, who ended the match with 10 players, this was their first point of the season after last weekend’s defeat to Sliema Wanderers in their Premier League opener.
Aniello Parisi’s men looked firmly in control during the first half, but a lapse in concentration and missed chances proved costly as Hibernians had come from behind to take the lead, early in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Paolites now sit on four points from their opening two matches.
Coach Branko Nisevic, however, will hardly be pleased with his team’s defensive record, as Hibs have already conceded five goals in just two outings. Still, their determination and resilience to claw their way back into the contest will be seen as a positive sign.
Both coaches made adjustments heading into this match.
Żabbar handed starts to veteran striker Mario Fontanella and new signing Pedro Cejas, who joined during the summer transfer window. On the bench, defender Jurgen Pisani made his return to the squad after being acquitted of a match-fixing case last week.
Hibernians, on the other hand, made one change between the posts – veteran Justin Haber, in his third spell at the club, replaced the injured Laurentiu Branescu, who sustained a serious injury in the opener against Gżira United.
The game’s first sight of goal came from Jurgen Degabriele, but his tame effort was easily gathered by Żabbar goalkeeper Luca Camilleri.
Żabbar responded moments later through Toni Brito, whose shot from the edge of the area was stopped by Haber.
In the 20th minute, Hibernians suffered a major blow when forward Degabriele picked up what appeared to be a serious knee injury, forcing him off on a stretcher to a warm ovation from both sets of fans. He was replaced by Alex Bruno.
Żabbar broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. From a Brian Gambarte free-kick, Haber made a save onto the post, but the rebound fell kindly for Cejas, who tapped into an empty net for his first goal in Żabbar colours.
Despite being on the back foot, Hibernians struck back just before half-time. Captain Bjorn Kristensen lifted his team with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box that left Camilleri with no chance, sending the sides level at the break.
After the restart, Cejas nearly restored Żabbar’s lead, but Haber denied him with a smart save. Instead, Hibernians turned the game on its head when Pedro Cacho unleashed a powerful shot from distance, beating Camilleri at his near post.
Żabbar kept pushing, and their efforts were rewarded when substitute Samuel Gomes struck from the edge of the area to make it 2-2. The Saints grew in confidence, but Hibernians almost had the final say when Miullen fired narrowly wide after being set up by Kristensen.
In stoppage time, Żabbar’s task was made harder when substitute Youngwon Im was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge, leaving his side to finish the match with 10 men.
Ultimately, both sides had to settle for a point.
