On the pitch, Hibernian Football Club won a landmark victory against Aberdeen, 2-1 at Pittodrie Stadium. This amazing outcome sent Hibs flying into third spot in the table of the Scottish Premiership. Hibernian put up a strong defensive effort in the game. Aberdeen found it near impossible to convert their opportunities into goals, summing up a recent frustrating run on the continent.
Despite the long trip home, Aberdeen came into the match with a re-invigorated starting eleven. It was three changes from the record European capitulation to AEK Athens earlier in the week. Ante Palaversa, Gavin Molloy and Kevin Nisbet were all signed to improve the squad’s performance. Hibernian’s gameplan was to exploit whatever residual damage their opponents had endured following their own poor run of form.
Aberdeen did have a great chance to go ahead inside of three minutes. Jesper Karlsson served a corner that found Molloy, standing only six yards from goal. Unfortunately for Molloy, it was one such misfire, with the ball sailing over the crossbar. This miss would set the tone for a first half fraught with missed chances from both sides.
Hibernian Takes Control
The first significant breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Thibault Klidje found the back of the net for Hibernian. Klidje maneuvered behind Aberdeen’s defense but faced two challenges: first from goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and then from defender Mats Knoester. Against all odds, Klidje found the back of the net, sending Hibernian up 1-0.
Though Hibs went up first on the scoreboard, Josh Mulligan nearly put them two ahead. 20 minutes into the match, he pulled his shot wide. Socceroo Martin Boyle was almost the most embarrassed man on the planet after fluffing a free header from three yards out. Fortunate to him, the offside flag saved him from any greater blame.
Hibernian was still pushing on, showcasing their offensive strength. Josh Campbell almost opened the scoring with a long-range strike that crashed off the bottom of the post. He capitalized on a defensive mix-up involving Jack Milne to really manufacture the chance. For the opening 45 minutes, Hibernian settled with a narrow advantage as they tried to add to their cushion.
Aberdeen’s Late Push
With the second half under way, Aberdeen pushed to get back into the game. Their growing pressure paid off in injury-time when Marko Lazetic pulled one back with a clinical finish. This was his second straight week getting on the scoresheet for the Dons and brought their supporters back to life in hopes of an equalizer.
Aberdeen’s manager Jimmy Thelin acknowledged his team’s performance after the match, stating, “The game started okay and we created some chances but we missed those and allowed Hibs to create more.” His comments are symptomatic of the continued plague of missing odds-on chances.
Although Aberdeen had all the momentum with their late comeback, Hibernian were able to respond quickly after Lazetic’s goal. Elie Youan showed the kind of speed and creativity on the ball that you dream of. He ran the full length of the field, rounded Mitov and netted Hibernian’s second. This goal seemed to put the game beyond doubt for Hibs.
Then, in injury time, drama unfolded! Campbell thought he had given Hibernian a second goal, but the referee ruled out his close-range finish for offside. In the dying minutes of the game, Aberdeen fought valiantly in search of the equalizing goal. Leighton Clark almost equalized, forcing Raphael Sallinger to dive low for a critical save.
Final Whistle and Reflections
In the end, Hibs held on to their win, 2-1. The win was important as they continue to keep pace near the top of the league table.
Reflecting on the match, David Gray, the Hibernian manager, noted the unexpected twists toward the end of the game: “It was quite a strange game towards the end because you’re thinking with a couple of minutes left that it’s 3-0 and it’s comfortable, then it’s not a goal, then you lose a goal and the last 30 seconds are defending.” His observations highlighted how combative the final moments were as both sides desperately scrambled for points.
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