Hibs knocked out of Europe after dramatic draw against Legia in Warsaw

Hibernian have been knocked out of Europe after Legia Warsaw fought back to win their play-off tie in extra time.

Hibs had the lead in the tie up until the 94th minute when Legia drew level, and the Polish side scored in extra time to progress to the League Phase with a 5-4 aggregate win.

After a 2-1 loss in the first leg at Easter Road, David Gray’s side travelled to Poland knowing they would have to win to achieve their dream of reaching the League Phase of the competition but faced a tough task against a side that were heavy favourites to progress.

Their job became even harder when Vahan Bichakhchyan scored against the run of play with a powerful low shot in the 13th minute.

Rocky Bushiri steered in a header from close range in the 50th minute to give Hibs a glimmer of a chance and they drew level in the tie when Martin Boyle seized on a loose ball to fire home just before the hour mark.

Hibs took the lead in the tie when Miguel Chaiwa found space in the box before planting a finish low into the corner of the net.

Junior Hoilett was then shown a red card but had it downgraded to yellow after a VAR review, as Hibs sought to defend their advantage.

Just as the tie looked over and Hibs seemed certain of their place in Friday’s League Phase draw, Legia found a leveller. A loose ball in the box fell for Juergen Elitim and he had an easy task to finish past Jordan Smith in the 94th minute. Extra time beckoned.

Having suffered that late blow, there was worse to come. Eight minutes into extra time, Legia took the lead in the tie again. Hibs failed to clear a ball into the box and Mileta Rajovic pounced to slam the ball high into the net.

With five minutes left, Hibs were thrown a lifeline when Legia’s Jan Ziolkowski was sent off after a second yellow card.

The Scottish side threw everything forward but couldn’t find the goal they needed and were left to rue the cost of another late goal as their European journey ended.