HIBERNIAN 1 MIDTJYLLAND 2 (aet): Danes deny Hibs with spectacular overhead-kick winner in the 119th minute of Easter Road thriller

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

What promised to be a momentous evening for Hibernian ended in agonising anti-climax as Midtjylland dramatically snatched a place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
Brazilian substitute Junior Brumado's astonishing overhead kick in the 119th minute of a pulsating contest broke the hearts of David Gray's players and their supporters in a crowd of just under 20,000 which set a new Easter Road attendance record since the ground's reconstruction in the 1990s.
Hibs were desperate to mark the occasion with victory and went toe-to-toe with the talented Danish side, who went ahead at the start of extra-time through a sublime strike from Chilean international Dario Osorio.
Rocky Bushiri levelled the tie once more for the gutsy hosts but it was Brumado who settled it in style for the visitors.
Hibs must now lick their wounds before dropping into the Conference League where they will face Partizan Belgrade in the third qualifying round.
The near-capacity crowd were in a ferment by the time kick-off arrived and Hibs appeared duly energised in the early exchanges as they looked to build on last week's 1-1 draw in Denmark.
Martin Boyle had perhaps just too much adrenaline rushing through him when he raced down the right onto Chris Cadden's perfectly weighted pass and overhit his cross from a promising position.
It was exactly the kind of aggressive and positive start Gray would have wanted from his side nonetheless and Boyle was unfortunate not to make the breakthrough in the fifth minute when his close-range shot was deflected just wide after lovely build-up play from Jamie McGrath and Cadden.
When Midtjylland struggled to clear the subsequent corner, the ball was whipped back into the box by Jordan Obita for Warren O'Hora who should have done better than head it straight at the grateful Jonas Lossl.
It had been a rocky opening for the visitors but they didn't take too long to provide evidence of their attacking threat.
Hibs were carved open on the right side of their defence by Aral Simsir's run and pass to overlapping left-back Paulinho whose shot was deflected wide.
Jordan Smith then had to make his first save of the evening when he held Osorio's long range effort as Midtjylland settled to their task.
There was a real ebb and flow to the contest now and the lively McGrath had the Hibs fans back in full voice when he surged through the middle and sent a rising shot narrowly wide from 20 yards.
The noise levels were further amplified in the 16th minute when Hibs thought they had taken the lead when Kieron Bowie tapped home Obita's superb cross from the left, only for a tight offside decision to be corroborated by VAR.
It was Boyle, who had strayed beyond the last defender and was judged to be interfering.
The pace was relentless from both sides but as the first half wore on, it was Midtjylland who looked the more threatening.
Osorio missed a glorious chance to put them in front when he scooped his shot over from around 12 yards after an incisive exchange of passes with Franculino Dju.
Hibs were becoming increasingly stretched at the back and it required a brilliantly timed saving challenge inside the penalty from O'Hora to deny the dangerous Simsir what looked like a certain goal.
A careless attempted clearance from Smith put his defence in trouble again in the 38th minute but the goalkeeper redeemed himself with a solid save from Oliver Sorensen.
There was no doubt it was Hibs who were the happier team to hear the half-time whistle and have a chance to regroup.
Gray's men struggled to recapture their earlier momentum as Midtjylland remained on the front foot at the start of the second half.
It was their turn to be frustrated by a razor-thin offside call in the 53rd minute when Dju latched onto Lee Han-Beom's lofted through ball and beat Smith with a clever finish. The on-field decision was a goal but after a lengthy VAR check, it was disallowed to a voluble wave of relief around Easter Road.
The let-off seemed to spark Hibs back into life and Boyle sent Cadden bursting into the penalty area to fire in a shot which Lossl could only parry.
Josh Mulligan looked favourite to reach the loose ball but the visitors managed to scramble it clear.
Martin Boyle slides in on Midtjylland's Dario Osario as the Chilean tries to break clear
Hibs continued to live dangerously at the other end and found themselves exposed once more when Dju again raced clear through the middle. Inexplicably, the Guinea-Bissau international striker delayed his shot and was crowded out by a combination of Smith and O'Hora.
Nicky Cadden had the ball in the net again for Hibs in stoppage time but Boyle was clearly offside in the build-up this time and an increasingly nervy tie went into the additional half hour.
Midtjylland needed just four minutes of it to find their breakthrough. The Hibs defence were slow to react as Osorio picked the ball up around 25 yards out and he made the most of the time and space provided as he smashed a fabulous left-foot shot beyond the helpless Smith.
Energy seemed to sap from the four stands but hope was reignited just before half-time in extra-time as Bushiri reinforced his cult status among the Hibs fans by sweeping the equaliser home from close range after fine work from sub Elie Youan on the left.
Penalties loomed, with the Danes even subbing their keeper in preparation, but Brumado stunned Easter Road when he acrobatically smashed Kevin Mbabu's cross beyond Smith.
HIBERNIAN (3-4-2-1): Smith; O'Hora, Bushiri, Iredale (Hoilett 98); C Cadden (Campbell 59), Mulligan, Levitt (Youan 79), Obita; Boyle (Klidje 101), McGrath; Bowie (N Cadden 79, Megwa 105). Booked: C Cadden, Boyle, McGrath, Campbell. Manager: David Gray.