Hibs boost qualification bid after 2-0 win over FCI Tallinn

HIBERNIANS 2(Jorginho 63; Kristensen 73)FCI TALLINN 0Hibernians boosted their chances of reaching the second qualifying round of the Champions League after beating FCI Tallinn 2-0 in the first leg of their first qualifying round tie.After a goalless first half at the Hibernians Stadium, the Maltese champions took the upperhand in the second period, scoring twice through Jorginho and Bjorn Kristensen to establish a 2-0 lead ahead of the return leg in Estonia next week. The first half was a drab affair but it was FCI Tallinn, the 2016 Estonian champions, who started strongly despite the heat. On four minutes, FCI Tallinn were awarded a penalty by Swiss referee Fedayi San after Johann Bezzina was adjudged to have pushed an opponent in the box. Kiril Nesterov’s attempt from 11 metres was turned away for a corner by goalkeeper Andrew Hogg. On the half-hour mark, FCI Tallinn midfielder Pavel Domov hit the crossbar with an angled shot from 25 metres. As the first half moved into the final 15 minutes, Hibernians improved and tested their opponents with some neat moves. Just before half-time, Jorginho, Hibernians’ most influential player, missed two scoring opportunities. Tallinn forward Albert Prosa was denied by the alert Hogg early in the second half. Hibernians appealed for a penalty for a handball on 55 minutes following a Bezzina cross inside the box but the referee waved play on. A header by Prosa just missed target on the hour. Two minutes later, Hibernians opened the scoring. A free-kick from debutant Marco Sahanek was headed into the top-left corner by Jorginho. With the Estonians tiring out, Hibs doubled the score on 73 minutes. A Sahanek corner was met nicely by Bjorn Kristensen who guided the ball home from close distance. With 85 minutes on the clock, Joseph Mbong, on as a substitute, had a great opportunity to increase Hibs’ lead but his grounder from inside the box was pushed away by goalkeeper Matvei Igonen. Tallinn forward Prosa had a good chance to reduce the deficit on 90 minutes but Hogg saved. Substitute Jurgen Degabriele could have sealed the issue two minutes into added time after a receiving from Mbong but his effort was saved by Igonen who denied him again moments later. HiberniansAndrew Hogg, Andrei Agius, Rodolfo Soares, Rui Da Gracia Gomes, Clayton Failla, Marcelo Dias, Jackson Lima Siqueira, (Dunstan Vella 93), Bjorn Kristensen, Johann Bezzina, Marco Sahanek, (Joseph Mbong 77), Jorginho Pereira Da Silva, (Jurgen Degabriele 90). FCI TallinnMatvei Igonen, Dmitri Kruglov, Vladimir Avilov, Roman Nesterovski, (Andrei Kalimulin 37), Aleksandr Volodin, Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Pavel Domov, Aleksandr Kulinits, Kirill Nesterov, (Vladimir Voskoboinikov 79), Jevgeni Harin (Sergei Tumasyan 83), Albert Prosa. Referee: Fedayi San (Switzerland). Yellow cards: Bezzina (3), Failla (11), Kalimuli (40), Dmitrijev (52), Voskoboinikv (85) Attendance: 1,068.