Hibernians marked their return to European football after a two-year absence with a spirited performance but suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Spartak Trnava in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.
Despite a valiant second-half comeback and a debut goal for Charleston, a costly defensive error handed the Slovak side a crucial away win — continuing Hibernians’ winless streak against Spartak Trnava across European matchups dating back to 1969.
Branko Nisevic’s side, entering the game fresh off an FA Trophy triumph, featured several new faces, including debutant goalkeeper Laurentiu Branescu, young talent Aiden Zammit, and summer signings Pedro Cacho and Pablo Alves.
Hibernians began brightly and nearly opened the scoring through Thiago Miullen, who narrowly missed the target after a neat assist from Bjorn Kristensen. However, Spartak Trnava gradually took control and broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when Libor Holik beat Alves to a cross and slotted home from close range.
The Slovak side continued to test Branescu, who kept Hibernians in the game with several crucial stops, particularly from Roman Prochazka and Milos Kratochvil.
The hosts responded after the break with renewed determination. As Spartak sat deeper, Hibernians pushed forward but struggled to create clear chances until the 79th minute. Substitute Charleston rose to the occasion, heading in from a Lucas Caruana corner to make it 1-1 and inject new life into the match.
But Charleston’s moment of heroism turned to despair just five minutes later. A poor back pass led to a rash challenge by Branescu in the box, and Prochazka calmly converted from the penalty spot to seal a 2-1 win for Spartak.
The Slovak side could have added a third late on, but Kudlicka failed to convert two golden opportunities — including one that struck the woodwork in stoppage time.
Hibernians now face a daunting second leg away in Slovakia but can take encouragement from their late momentum and the experience gained by their young and revamped squad.
Match Summary:
UEFA Conference League – 2nd Qualifying Round (First Leg)
Hibernians 1–2 Spartak Trnava
Venue: Tony Bezzina Stadium
Goals:
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Spartak Trnava: Holik 27’, Prochazka 84’ (pen)
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Hibernians: Charleston 79’
Hibernians XI:
L. Branescu; A. Zammit (69′ Charleston), M. Ellul, Pedrao, S. Alfred, P. Cacho (69′ L. Caruana), B. Kristensen, J. Degabriele (69′ A. Bruno), P. Alves (74′ D. Bonnici), T. Miullen (75′ Cleiton), L. Villela.
Spartak Trnava XI:
Z. Frelih; P. Nwadike, K. Kostma, F. Twardzik, L. Holik, R. Prochazka, M. Kratochvil (85′ G. Moistsrapishvili), M. Mikovic (90′ R. Jureskin), P. Azango (61′ T. Kudlicka), M. Duris (90′ H. Gong), C. Badolo (61′ J. Paur).
Referee: Visar Kastrati (Kosovo FA)
Sports Editor
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