Stripes stun Hibs to all but hand title to City

BIRKIRKARA-2, HIBS-0 Birkirkara showed great resilience this afternoon as they beat Hibs 2-0 despite finishing the game with nine men. The Paolites needed a win to keep their slim title hopes alive but they were outfought by the never-say-die Stripes whose victory means that Valletta will be crowned champions today if they gain at least a point from their clash with Sliema Wanderers. Birkirkara looked set for a grim afternoon when Rowen Muscat was sent off in the first half but Shola Shodiya Haruna's goal before half-time filled them with courage. They needed plenty of that in the second half after Nikola Vukanac was also dismissed but Birkirkara battled on before scoring a second goal late on to seal the issue and all but end Hibs' title chances as the Paolites are now six points behind Valletta who have a game in hand. In the early stages, Hibs striker Luis Edison headed wide from Clayton Failla's cross. Moises Avila-Perez broke clear for Birkirkara but his diagonal grounder posed no danger to Hibs goalkeeper Mario Muscat. Thereafter, both teams struggled to fashion scoring chances as the two defences prevailed. Hibs' attacking threat was limited to a couple of surging runs by...