Hibernians Narrowly Lose Out To Slovakians Spartak Trnava

Maltese FA Trophy holders Hibernians narrowly lost 2-1 to Slovakian giants Spartak Trnava in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round clash.

Despite a spirited performance, the Paolites will be disappointed not to come away with at least a draw, especially after mounting a second-half comeback.

Unlike the other Maltese clubs in Europe, Hibernians entered at this stage thanks to their strong UEFA coefficient, allowing them to skip the first qualifying round.

Spartak opened the scoring in the 27th minute, but Hibernians gradually settled into the match and found their rhythm.

Their persistence paid off in the 79th minute when Charleston headed home a perfectly delivered cross from youngster Lucas Caruana to level the score.

However, the celebrations were short-lived. Just five minutes later, a mistimed back pass from Charleston led to the Hibs goalkeeper committing a foul in the box, resulting in a penalty that restored the Slovakian side’s lead.

Despite the loss, Hibernians showed great resilience and quality, and they will now look to overturn the narrow deficit in the return leg in Slovakia.

A strong performance could see them achieve one of Maltese football’s most historic European results.

#MaltaDaily