Five-star Women's Team opens seven point lead on top

by Ayrton Galea - 8th December 2016

Birkirkara FC Women's Team moved seven points clear in the BOV Women's First Division League when yesterday evening, they produced a top-notch performance and a goal by Raina Giusti handed the Stripes a crucial 1-0 victory over title challengers Hibernians FC.

The Stripes delivered a bold statement of their title aspirations when they registered their eighth consecutive victory and opened a seven-point gap over their nearest challengers as they eased arch-rivals Hibernians in empathic style.

Have established a comfortable four-point lead at the top before this match, the Stripes knew about the significance of this important fixture as a win would put them in the driving seat on the top while a defeat will once again blow wide the title challenge.

Yet, it was the Stripes who deservingly came up on top at the end of the match. Their collective effort by being compact at the back yet effective up-front saw them showing the brighter ideas and a goal by Raina Giusti twenty-two minutes from time proved to be the all-important goal.

The victory had also another significant meaning for the Stripes as they have extended their impressive clean-sheet streak to nine matches as they retained their tag of the only side who haven't conceded a goal yet in the league.

The First Half

The Stripes made their intentions clear to notice right from the start as their aggressive start forced Hibernians for a shaky start. Quickly on the attack, Birkirkara won their first corner after just three minutes and from Giusti's corner, Yasmeen Vella saw her header ending wide by inches.

Giusti was playing a key-role in the Stripes' attacking force in the opening minutes and she went close on the thirteenth minute. Receiving the ball on the left-side, the rapid forward did an excellent run to get past a number of defenders but her powerful shot scratched past the post.

Hibernians had to wait to the twenty-third minute for a decent scoring opportunity. They won the possession in Birkirkara's half-pitch and a cross from the right found Shona Zammit who hit a first-time shot which was neutralised by goalkeeper Janice Xuereb.

The Stripes went close past half-hour mark. A precise long-ball by towering midfielder Gabriella Zahra saw Kelly Agius Pace beating the offside trap and reached the ball before the onrushing goalkeeper Sonia Farrugia but defender Charlene Zammit cleared the ball to avoid a certain goal.

Just before half-time, goalkeeper Janice Xuereb's produced a wonderful save to deny Jade Flask after the Hibernians midfielder had hit a well-placed header off a corner from the left as the first-half ended in a goal-less draw.

The Second Half

Boosted by a very satisfactory first-half performance, the Stripes once again had the better start. On the forty-eighth minute, a direct free-kick by Kim Parnis saw her powerful effort turned into a corner kick by goalkeeper Farrugia.

The two teams had their moments in the opening twenty minutes of the second-half but it was the Stripes who broke the dead-lock on the sixty-eighth minute. A shot by the Gabriella Zahra was short-cleared by defender Zammit and from the rebound, Giusti hit an outstanding first-time shot that gave the Hibernians goalkeeper no chance.

Hibernians were stunned. Coach Jesmond Zammit was quick to rope-in the technical Dorianne Theuma for Francesca Chircop as the Paolites' coach shifted his defence to three with the aim and hope to pile-up the pressure on the Stripes.

However, Hibernians' looked short of ideas as the top-form Birkirkara defence gave no space. Centre-backs Stephania Farrugia and Ann-Marie Said were having another great-form display as they were easily controlling the frustrated Hibs' forwards.

More woes followed for the Paolites, twelve minutes from time when they ended playing with ten players. Ylenia Carabott went down in the box but the referee looked not interested in her strong protests for a penalty and moments after she was shown a straight red card for foul language.

The wounded Hibernians tried to put everything forward but they couldn't break Birkirkara's resistance as the Stripes held strong for their second consecutive victory over Hibernians to open a comfortable lead on top of the table.

With one match to the end of the second round and with two rounds more to go, the victory condemned Hibernians for a major set-back in their aspirations as the high-flying Stripes looks in a commanding position on top.

BIRKIRKARA: Janice Xuereb, Mariah Sciberras, Ann-Marie Said, Stephania Farrugia,Yasmeen Vella, Gabriella Zahra, Kim Parnis, Tracy Teuma, Alishia Sultana (74' Sarah Urpani), Raina Giusti, Kelly Agius Pace (85' Isabelle Mazzitelli)

Yellow Cards: 33' Gabriella Zahra.

Scorer: 68' Raina Giusti.

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