Aberdeen 4 Hibs 1: Bojan Miovski scores brace as Jim Goodwin’s Dons thrash Easter Road side in bizarre VAR fuelled clash

ABERDEEN gave Hibs a boot in the Balkans as they moved up to third in the table in a fizzing firecracker of a game.

North Macedonian Bojan Miovski grabbed a double and Albanian Ylber Ramadani also scored to put the home side in cruise control.

2

Aberdeen players celebrate goal against HibsCredit: Newsline

But although Ukrainian Mykola Kuharevich pulled one back for Hibs, Leighton Clarkson’s clever finish wrapped up the points.

But although North Macedonian internationalist Miovski took his total for the season to eleven with a double, the match will be remember for the bizarre scenes at the end of the first-half which ended with him opening the scoring.

Although fourth official Chris Fordyce signalled two minutes of first-half stoppage time, there ended up being more than 8 and a half minutes played.

A huge chunk of that was caused by the VAR checking and re-checking  the incident that led to Aberdeen’s opener.

Jayden Richardson’s reverse pass saw Luis Lopes bearing down on David Marshall, and going down in theatrical fashion once he knocked the ball beyond the Hibs skipper.

Initially ref David Munro gave nothing – but it soon became clear a check at VAR HQ was going on. Bizarrely, it took almost three minutes before the official was recommended  to have a look at the pitchside monitor to see if it was a penalty.

But surely if it takes that long for the VAR to decide the ref should take another look, it suggests any error that has occurred is a long way from being clear and obvious?

Anyway, Munro inevitably decided it was a penalty – but Marshall saved Bojan Miovski’s first spot-kick with his foot.

The verdict

How they rated

ABERDEEN: KELLE ROOS 6, ROSS McCRORIE 6, ANTHONY STEWART 6, LIAM SCALES 6, JAYDEN RICHARDSON 6, CONNOR BARRON 7, YLBER RAMADANI 7, HAYDEN COULSON 6, LEIGHTON CLARKSON 6, BOJAN MIOVSKI 7, LUIS ‘DUK’ LOPES 6

Subs: MARLEY WATKINS (Lopes 73,5); JACK MACKENZIE (Coulson 78,4); MATTY KENNEDY (Miovski 89,1), RYAN DUNCAN (Clarkson 89,1)

HIBS: DAVID MARSHALL 6, CHRIS CADDEN 7, RYAN PORTEOUS 7, ROCKY BUSHIRI 6, PAUL HANLON 6, MARIJAN CABRAJA 7, KYLE MAGENNIS 5, NOHAN KENNEH 6, JOE NEWELL 6, EWAN HERNDERSON 5, MYKOLA KUHAREVICH 5

Subs: ELIAS MELKERSEN (Henderson 64,5), JOSH CAMPBELL (Magennis 76,4); ELIE YOUAN (Kuharevich 81,3), LEWIS STEVENSON (Cabraja 81,3)

Man of the match

In a good old-fashioned rip-snorter of a game, there were plenty of candidates on both sides. Chris Cadden and pantomime villain Ryan Porteous were terrific for Hibs, as was wing-back Marijan Cabraja. Midfielders Connor Barron and the quietly effective Ylber Ramadani were impressive for the home side – but Bojan Miovski was the man who made the difference. Although he got lucky with his penalty, he gave the Hibs defence a torrid time and merited his ovation when he came off late on.

Man in the middle

David Munro’s first VAR check early on showed the new toy working well. The response to play on after Roos bowled Henderson over was promptly delivered – though Hibs won’t have felt it was the right call. But the second, during the marathon first-half stoppage time, took forever both to be communicated to the ref – then play raged on before the ref got the call to order a re-take. As ever, the poor officials will be the ones who bear the brunt of this madness. Munro booked Aberdeen’s Coulson, Ramadani and Hibs’ Marshall.

Men on the sidelines

Lee Johnson – who didn’t risk World Cup hopeful Martin Boyle even though a visit to a specialist revealed his injury wasn’t as bad as had been feared – must have been bemused that his side lost after putting so much into the game. For the home side, Hayden Coulson coming in for Jack MacKenzie was the only change from the side trounced at Ibrox – but they responded with a fine display to claim the points in a pulsating encounter. 

Play raged on and it took another minute before another word in the ref’s ear told him to re-take the penalty for Marshall moving off his goalline.

This time Miovski’s kick was more accurate and beat Marshall low to his right – and to add to the chaos a melee in the six-yard box ensued which ended with the Hibs keeper being yellow-carded.

There was more VAR controversy in the second-half when Kuharevich turned the ball home at the near post. It was initially chalked off – then after another interminable delay ref Munro was told to award the goal.

However, overall the two sides fully justified their positions in the Premiership table with an encounter that flew from one end to the other at ferocious pace.

The last time the teams met, Goodwin’s outburst that Ryan Porteous had been guilty of “blatant cheating” led to an eight-game touchline ban – which was reduced to three immediate and two suspended on appeal.

He was in the stand serving the second of those games last night and found himself close to Porteous in the opening minutes.

The Hibs defender took so long to take a throw in front of the main stand that ref David Munro penalised him and gave Aberdeen the decision – to the delight of the home support, and presumably, their manager.

2

Porteous tussles with Aberdeen’s Luis ‘Duk’ LopesCredit: Newsline

Although the home side were backed by a noisy home support, it was the visitors who carved out the more incisive early openings.

First Chris Cadden’s low cross was miscontrolled by home skipper Anthony Stewart, and although Kuharevich touched it back into the path of Joe Newell, the midfielder was unable to control the ball.

Cadden was again prominent when Porteous flicked on a long throw-in but his drive went wildly over the top.

Aberdeen were looking suspect at the back and home keeper Roos did little to ease the nerves when he came out for a long ball and sent Ewan Henderson sprawling in the process.

The Hibs players raced to referee Munro to demand a penalty but after VAR Steven Kirkland’s check, he waved play on.

Hibs carved out another opening after 23 minutes and once again Porteous was involved. His pass out of defence sent Cadden clear of Hayden Coulson on the right and from his cross Henderson’s header required an acrobatic save by Roos.

Cadden was proving a key operator and he was involved at the other end moments later. Coulson got on the end of Leighton Clarkson’s cross but Cadden was there to block the Middlesbrough loanee’s effort at goal.

BETTING SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS AND FREE BETS

It was proving a relentless end-to-end encounter and Kyle Magennis was next to show attacking intent, with a drive that Roos smothered easily.

It was Aberdeen’s turn to fashion an opening next. Bojan Miovski sent Duk Lopes through and although his clever chip beat the outcoming David Marshall, Marijan Cabraja got back brilliantly to clear off the line.

The first-half seemed to be drawing to a tame conclusion, then Marshall was adjudged to have brought Lopes down and the home side – eventually – went in at the break in front.

The frenetic activity didn’t let up, and seven minutes into the second-half Aberdeen looked to have put the game out of Hibs’ reach.

Barron’s corner saw Miovski move away from his initial position beside Rocky Bushiri on the goalline and plant a bullet header beyond Marshall from six yards.

Shell-shocked Hibs fell further behind in Aberdeen’s next attack. Coulson’s corner was headed out by the visiting defence and the ball fell for Ramadani, whose drive into the ground beat Marshall.  

Hibs then had the ball in the net when Kuharevich poked home from close range but it seemed destined to be ruled out for offside – but after a check the assistant’s flag was overruled and the goal stood.

But Aberdeen’s response was clinical. Sub Marley Watkins’ low cross initially seemed to have been caught under Clarkson’s feet but he recovered to back-heel home from close range.

There was still time for Hibs sub Elie Youan to fire against the home cross-bar – but the Dons ultimately claimed an impressive win. 

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page