Hibernian's bid to reach the UEFA Conference League league phase for the first time was dashed in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, succumbing to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Gent after a late own goal by Miguel Chaiwa. The Scottish side were on the cusp of history, having come from behind to lead on the night, only for Christian Burgess to equalize for the Belgian club before Chaiwa's unfortunate intervention in stoppage time.
Gent, who have experience in the competition's league phase, established early control, moving the ball with patience and creating the first notable chance through Abdelkahar Kadri. Despite a blow for Hibs with the absence of Owen Elding, Martin Boyle managed a deflected shot that went over.
The visitors came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute when Momodou Sonko broke free, but an unmarked Josue Vergara narrowly missed connecting with his low cross. Vergara, however, made amends in the 39th minute, turning brilliantly to smash a rising shot into the net, giving Gent a 1-0 lead at halftime and a 2-1 aggregate advantage.
Hibs found a spirited response in the second half. Although a close-range finish by Boyle was disallowed for handball after a VAR review, the team equalized in the 56th minute. A corner was cleared to Jamie McGrath, whose blocked shot was regained, and his subsequent cross was headed home powerfully by Jason Kerr.
The momentum shifted, and Hibs took the lead in the 77th minute when Felix Passlack fired home after a one-two with Josh Mulligan. Gent's resilience resurfaced as Burgess headed them level from a Laszlo Benes corner, making the aggregate score 2-2. The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time when a rapid Gent counter-attack saw El Hadji Seck's low cross turned into Hibs' net by Chaiwa under pressure from Ibrahima Cisse. In the closing moments, Chaiwa was sent off for a second bookable offense, compounding Hibs' disappointment.