Swedes mash woeful Hibees
Fenlon's flops shame jersey

By DAVID FRIEL at EASTER ROAD

HIBS fans cranked up the noise in honour of the great Lawrie Reilly.

Then super Swedes Malmo silenced them with a devastating display of attacking football.

Few Easter Road diehards will forget the night they paid tribute to one of Hibs’ true icons — Famous Five legend Reilly who died this week.

But this Europa League tie proved memorable for all the wrong reasons as Malmo humiliated Pat Fenlon’s flops.

This 7-0 hammering was their WORST ever Euro result.

Thumped 9-0 on aggregate, it was utter humiliation for Hibs and the Scottish game.

And it was a far cry from 1970 when Hibs beat Malmo 6-0 and 9-2 on aggregate!

After a cagey opening, Magnus Eriksson burst the dam in 21 minutes and Malmo were ruthless in killing off Hibs.

The seven goals did NOT flatter Rikard Norling’s men. It could have been worse for Fenlon’s hopeless outfit who were outclassed all over the pitch.

Malmo may be halfway through their season, but the gulf in class was huge. And had it not been for keeper Ben Williams’ first-leg heroics, the aggregate would have been well into double figures.

A massive 16,018 home crowd were urged to make a wall of sound pre-match and they did not let Hibs down.

The roar that followed the emotional minute’s applause for Reilly almost took the roof off Easter Road.

Skipper James McPake called for a hostile atmosphere to try to intimidate the young Swedes and he got it.

But Malmo were not in the least bit scared. It is now laughable to think they would be.

Fenlon was bold with his line-up. Alex Harris started on the right and Danny Handling was up top with Rowan Vine.

Vine proved a handful for the Malmo defence in Sweden and caused problems again with his direct style.

He won an early corner and Jordon Forster headed wide from Liam Craig’s delivery. You felt Hibs could build on that, but what followed was a collapse as Malmo rattled in three in just nine minutes.

Fenlon’s defence was cut open all too easily as Malmo took the lead, Eriksson sweeping in Tokelo Rantie’s cutback.

Vine had a goal disallowed for offside as Hibs almost hit back immediately — but Malmo were in the mood.

Rantie swapped passes with Eriksson and raced clear, but Williams pulled off a fine save. Hibs were all over the shop. McPake limped off to be replaced by Fraser Mullen and seconds later Eriksson smacked the post.

That was a let-off but Malmo soon added a second. Emil Forsberg waltzed through, played a one-two with Simon Thern and slid a low shot past Williams.

It was so simple and things went from bad to worse as midfielder Markus Halsti got in on the act — slotting home from 20 yards for 3-0.

With just 30 minutes gone, Hibs now needed SIX without reply. But the worry for Easter Road fans was how many Malmo would score.

Some had already seen enough and headed for the exits. You could not really blame them.

They had come hoping for a famous European night. Instead they got one of shame and embarrassment.

It was 4-0 just before half-time. Full-back Miiko Albornoz cut in from the right and curled in a beauty.

Hibs were beaten and frustrated. Tom Taiwo and Kevin Thomson picked up bookings for needless lunges.

The dilemma for Fenlon was to have a go in the second half or sit in and avoid more embarrassment.

Hibs never gave in and went in search of the goal their fans deserved for the backing.

But it was Malmo who struck again on the hour-mark when Williams spilled Jiloan Hamad’s volley and Rantie poked in for 5-0.

Hamad’s free-kick then squirmed in under the Hibs keeper for the sixth, and Simon Kroon completed the humiliation whe he tapped in a seventh.

Fair play to the Hibs support. Every touch in a late period of possession was greeted with ironic cheers.

But if they did not laugh, they would have cried.

HIBS: Williams 5, Stevenson 5, Forster 5, McPake 3 (Mullen 4), Hanlon 5, Harris 5 (Stanton 4), Thomson 5, Taiwo 5 (Robertson 3), Craig 5, Handling 5, Vine 5. Booked: Taiwo, Thomson, Vine, Robertson.