Harambee Starlets forward Violet Nanjala enjoyed a dream debut for Hibernians, scoring a hat-trick as her side cruised to a 5-1 victory over Birkirkara in the Assikura Women’s League in Malta on Friday night.
The Kenyan forward needed just 11 minutes to make her mark, opening the scoring and giving Hibernians an early advantage at the Victor Tedesco Stadium in Hamrun.
Nanjala’s opener gave the visitors confidence as they took control of the game, with Birkirkara struggling to create clear chances in the opening half. Hibernians maintained their advantage and went into the break leading 1-0.
Harambee Starlets forward Violet Nanjala bags hat trick on debut
After the restart, Nanjala continued from where she had left off. The forward doubled her tally in the 54th minute to put Hibernians 2-0 up before completing her hat-trick three minutes later.
Her third goal came in the 57th minute, giving Hibernians a commanding 3-0 lead and completing a memorable debut for the Kenyan striker.
With Nanjala already having done her part, Hibernians continued to press for more goals. They were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute, with Ivana Trbojevic stepping up to convert from the spot and extend the visitors’ advantage to 4-0.
Birkirkara managed to pull one back in the 72nd minute through Momo Ueda, but the goal only proved to be a consolation as Hibernians remained firmly in control.
Trbojevic then completed her brace in the closing stages, scoring Hibernians’ fifth goal to restore their four-goal advantage and seal a convincing 5-1 victory.
The result gives Hibernians six points from their opening three league matches and moves them into second place in the standings, level on points with leaders Swieqi United.
For Nanjala, it was a debut to remember. The Kenyan striker’s early goal gave Hibernians the perfect start before she returned after the break to score twice in the space of three minutes and complete her hat-trick.
Her performance was central to Hibernians’ convincing victory, with the forward proving a constant threat to the Birkirkara defence throughout the match.
Hibernians had gone into the fixture looking to build on their previous league victory and produced another strong performance to collect maximum points. Their attacking display after the interval proved too much for Birkirkara, who struggled to contain the visitors’ movement and finishing.
Birkirkara’s late goal offered them little consolation as Hibernians had already established a commanding lead by then.
The final whistle confirmed a 5-1 victory for Hibernians with Nanjala taking the headlines after marking her first league appearance for the club with three goals.
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