Hayley Bugeja stole the spotlight in Malta as Inter Women recorded a dominant 12-0 friendly victory over Hibernians, with the Maltese international netting an impressive hat trick against her former domestic rivals.
The match, played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium in Paola, formed part of Inter Women’s winter training camp in Malta and offered the Serie A side an ideal platform to fine-tune preparations ahead of the season restart.
Bugeja, who continues to be a key figure for the Nerazzurre, made her mark early on by calmly converting a penalty, before adding two further goals to complete a first-half hat trick that underlined her growing influence within the Inter setup. The Maltese forward was heavily involved throughout, combining pace, movement and clinical finishing to trouble the Hibernians’ defence.
Inter had already taken the lead through Detruyer, but once Bugeja found her rhythm, the gap in quality became increasingly evident. The visitors went into the break with a commanding advantage, having effectively put the contest beyond doubt.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Inter maintaining their intensity and extending the scoreline through goals from Polli, Tomaselli, Glionna, Csiszár and others, as the head coach rotated the squad and handed minutes across the team.
For Bugeja, the hat trick on home soil was a particularly satisfying moment, reinforcing her status as one of Malta’s most successful football exports and a regular contributor at the highest level of Italian women’s football.
Despite the heavy defeat, the match offered Hibernians valuable experience against elite opposition. At the same time, for Inter Women, it served as a productive end to their Maltese training camp ahead of a crucial Serie A Women clash against Juventus upon their return to Italy.
