Scerri at the double as Hibs unnerve leaders

Hibernians 2
Marsaxlokk 2

Brian Talbot, the Marsaxlokk coach, recently observed that his team's title rivals were eager to expose chinks in the leaders' seemingly impenetrable armour.

After a 1-1 draw with lowly St George's two weeks ago provided some encouragement for the chasing pack, Marsaxlokk's credentials were again put under the microscope yesterday.

This time, it was a resurgent Hibs team who posed arguably the toughest challenge to Marsaxlokk so far this season. The leaders just survived the test as the match ended in a 2-2 draw but if one team deserved to win, that team was definitely Hibs.

Encouraged by their 2-1 victory over Valletta, Hibs overcame the setback of an early goal from their ex-striker Haruna Doda, to storm into their ponderous opponents with a combination of powerful and fluid football.

Terrence Scerri twice castigated lapses in the Marsaxlokk defence but his well-taken brace was only rewarded with a point which is not enough to ensure Hibs a place in the Championship Pool.

Plucked from Msida in midweek, Peter Pullicino had to content himself with a place on the bench in his first match for Marsaxlokk.

Talbot handed the no.1 jersey to Reuben Gauci as Justin Haber, another mid-season capture by the Premier League leaders, was sidelined with a one-match ban. Interestingly, striker Andrè Schembri was drafted into Marsaxlokk's 18-man squad as he enters the final phase of his rehabilitation from foot surgery.

Unsurprisingly, Hibs coach Robert Gatt chose to keep faith with the 11 players who started the match against Valletta.

In that match the Paolites surged ahead after six minutes but yesterday, they suffered a role reversal as, within four minutes of the start of the match, Marsaxlokk opened the scoring.

A curling free-kick by Daniel Bogdanovic from the left caused panic inside the Hibs box, goalkeeper Mario Muscat came out to try and repel the danger but the ball dropped at the feet of Doda who prodded home from close range.

At the other end, from an Andrew Cohen corner, Adrian Pulis towered above friend and foe but his header ended just wide.

A flowing Marsaxlokk move involving Kevin Sammut and Bogdanovic should have produced a second goal but Cleaven Frendo miscued his shot. After having a central drive blocked by Gauci, Clayton Failla fared worse than Frendo when completely missing the ball from a glorious position near the far post.

The two teams' inclination to play adventurous football made for an exciting opening.

After Muscat had dived to his right to stop an attempt by Malcolm Licari, Hibs restored parity midway through the first half. Chukunyere lofted the ball towards Scerri who sped forward before rifling past Gauci.

Marsaxlokk objected to the goal on the grounds that Scerri had strayed in an offside position before scoring but the match officials were adamant.

Within a minute of their equaliser, it was Hibs' turn to challenge the legitimacy of Marsaxlokk's second goal.

Enjoying acres of space near the far post, Bogdanovic had ample time to rise and head home Frendo's pinpointed cross from the left of the Hibs' penalty area. The Paolites claimed that the ball had crossed the bye-line when Frendo delivered the cross but referee Kevin Azzopardi allowed the goal to stand.

Hibs were having problems dealing with Bogdanovic's constant roaming and the interchanging on the flanks of Frendo and Sammut.

At the other side of the pitch, Marsaxlokk's four-man looked uncomfortable when confronted by the robust presence of Chukunyere and Scerri and the intelligent forays of Cohen.

The latter nearly levelled matters for the Paolites nine minutes from half-time but his angled thunderbolt was pushed away by Gauci.

Two minutes before the end of the first half, the alarm bells rang for Marsaxlokk when Cohen dribbled his way through from near the right bye-line before setting up Chukunyere whose diving header was deflected to a corner.

It was all square again on the stroke of half-time when Scerri underlined his rich seam of form with another powerful run and an exquisite lob over the on-rushing Gauci after Failla's high clearance from midfield caught the Marsaxlokk defence at sixes and sevens.

Four goals, constructive football and a fair dose of controversy were the legacy of an entertaining first half.

Five minutes into the second half, Pullicino made his Marsaxlokk debut when coming on for the subdued Sciberras.

Hibs then threatened to nose ahead for the first time but Cohen's swerving attempt from inside the box was well saved by Gauci.

The Marsaxlokk goalkeeper blocked Jonathan Caruana's shot after the latter had been released by a delightful back-heeled pass from Cohen. This occurred after 57 minutes.

Their confidence bolstered by Scerri's equaliser, Hibs had an edge over Marsaxlokk in the early stages of the second half. Their superiority indubitably owed as much to the efforts of their creative forces as to their uncompromising attitude, especially in 50-50 situations.

A rare breakaway by Marsaxlokk would have set them back on the winning track but for Doda's woeful finish from a Bogdanovic cross.

The tempo of the game dropped markedly as the second half progressed with the consequence that goalmouth action became a rarity.

In time added on, Hibs twice threatened to deal out the killer blow but Scerri's grounder, after receiving from Cohen, was touched onto the base of the post by Gauci and, seconds later, the Marsaxlokk goalkeeper foiled the Hibs striker with another close-range parry.

Hibernians: M. Muscat-6, A. Pulis-7, J. Caruana-6, A. Xuereb-6.5, K. Cassar-7.5, E. Agius-6, A. Cohen-7.5 ('90 M. Bartolo), T. Scerri-8, P. Doffo-7.5, C. Failla-6.5 ('89 J. Vella), N. Chukunyere-7 ('78 U. Nwoko).

Marsaxlokk: R. Gauci-6.5, C. Mamo-6.5, S. Wellman-5, L. Dimech-6.5, M. Licari-5.5, G. Sciberras-5 ('50 P. Pullicino-5), J. Pace-6, K. Sammut-5.5, H. Doda-5.5, D. Bogdanovic-6, C. Frendo-6.

Referee: Kevin Azzopardi.

Scorers: Doda 4; Scerri 22, 45; Bogdanovic 23.

Yellow cards: Pace; Failla.

BoV player of the match: Terrence Scerri (Hibs).