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Tillamawnin
Moderator
USA
197 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 21 2001 : 4:22:47 PM
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Hibs celebrate de la Cuz's early strike at Easter Road
Hibernian 2-1 Hearts
Hibs came up trumps in the first Edinburgh derby of the season with a blistering first half display against city rivals Hearts.
Ulises de la Cruz went a long way towards paying back the record transfer fee Hibs splashed out for him with a two goal performance.
Stephen Simmons pulled one back for Hearts but the Gorgie side were second best in every department and never looked like taking anything from the game.
Heavy rain fell throughout the opening 45 minutes and Hibs' passing and movement was as slick as the slippery playing surface with Grant Brebner and John O'Neill pulling the midfield strings.
Hibs made one change to the team who lost at Tannadice last week, Alen Orman coming in to the midfield for the suspended Matthias Jack.
Hearts handed new loan signing Ricardo Fuller his first start in place of the injured Andy Kirk and manager Craig Levein replaced Stevie Fulton with Simmons.
De la Cruz was the Hibs goal
hero
Hibs, backed by a vociferous home support, got off to a dream start when they took the lead after only 36 seconds.
From the right-hand side Orman slipped the ball to de la Cruz at the edge of the Hearts box and the Ecuadorian wing-back swivelled and curled a tremendous left-foot shot high into the net.
Franck Sauzee had a free kick from the edge of the box deflected past for a corner and then Ulrik Laursen caused trouble with a cross from the left which eventually was put past by O'Neil.
In the 18th minute de la Cruz could have scored in a counter-attack involving Craig Brewster and O'Neil but stumbled before shooting and the ball hit the side netting via the legs of Hearts goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
Hibs doubled their lead in the 23rd minute with De La Cruz grabbing his second of the afternoon with the Hearts defence in tatters.
The ever dangerous Luna raced on to clever Brebner pass, turned Alan Maybury on the byline and his cut back was deflected straight onto the toe of the Ecuadorian who tapped the ball in from a yard out.
Hearts created one good chance when Fuller was sent clear down the left, but the Jamaican's poor angled drive from inside the box shot across the six-yard box and away to safety.
Ricardo Fuller made his
Hearts debut
Hibs replaced Brewster, who had picked up a booking and was making a number of reckless challenges, with Tom McManus five minutes before half time and the substitute made an immediate impact with a powerful shot from 14 yards which flew just outside Niemi's left post.
McManus passed up a great opportunity on the hour when he failed to make contact with a cut back from de la Cruz just yards from goal after the Hearts defence had made a gift of the ball to the home side. Ian Murray got on the end of the cross but his shot flew high over the bar.
Four minutes later, Hearts were thrown an unlikely lifeline when Simmons steered home a deflected cross from Juanjo.
The goal gave Hearts renewed hope and took some of the wind out of Hibs' sails as the game grew increasingly scrappy.
Substitute David Zitelli warmed the hands of Niemi with a free kick but the Finnish keeper dealt with the shot comfortably.
McManus beat the offside trap in the 90th minute but made a horrible mess of his shot when one-on-one with Niemi.
Hibernian: Colgan, Fenwick, Sauzee, Laursen, Orman, De la Cruz, Brebner, O'Neil, Murray, Brewster, Luna.
Subs: Caig, Townsley, Smart, McManus, Zitelli.
Hearts: Niemi, Maybury, Pressley, Webster, Mahe, Juanjo, Severin, Simmons, Flogel, Adam, Fuller.
Subs: McKenzie, McKenna, Wales, Fulton, Sloan.
Referee: M McCurry
BBC Sports
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Live simply so that others may simply live.
Mohandas K. Gandhi
Edited by - Tillamawnin on Oct 21 2001 20:08:37 |
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