Hibernian beat Swiss side Luzern 3-1 at Easter Road to move one step closer to play-off with Aston Villa; Hearts suffer narrow Europa Conference League qualifying round loss to Rosenborg, but Lawrence Shankland goal offers hope for second leg; winner of the tie to play Hajduk Split or PAOK
Friday 11 August 2023 09:17, UK
Hibernian will take a 3-1 lead into the second leg of their Europa Conference League third qualifying round tie against Swiss side Luzern after a pulsating victory at Easter Road.
With a play-off against Aston Villa awaiting the winners, Hibs struck first moments after the interval with a wonderful strike from Joe Newell.
Ismajl Beka nodded Luzern back level in the 57th minute.
But debutant Dylan Vente headed home with 18 minutes remaining and Jordan Obita added a third in the 90th minute as Hibs took charge of the tie heading into next week's second leg in Switzerland.
Hibs had to do a lot of defending in the opening 20 minutes as Luzern showed their class on the ball.
Home keeper David Marshall was called into action after just five minutes to prevent Hibs from going behind early. Martin Frydek clipped a superb pass over the top of right-back Lewis Miller to find winger Teddy Okou but his shot across goal was palmed away by Marshall.
Hibs got a sniff of a chance in the 27th minute from a long Miller throw. Skipper Paul Hanlon won the first contact and the ball eventually fell for Will Fish, whose attempted volley was blocked.
And it was Hibs who opened the scoring just 18 seconds after the interval. Boyle's tenacity blocked a clearance on the right and Adam Le Fondre helped it on for Vente whose smart lay-off was drilled into the top corner by Newell.
The lead lasted just 11 minutes. Luzern earned themselves a second corner in quick succession and Meyer's in-swinging delivery was headed in by Beka.
Hibs regained the lead when Le Fondre crossed for an unmarked Vente to nod in from six yards.
Both teams continued to go for the jugular and substitute Christian Doidge almost grabbed a third for Hibs but his near-post shot from a low Martin Boyle cross clipped the crossbar on its way over.
Two minutes later at the other end, Pius Dorn's drive crashed back off the crossbar with Marshall well beaten.
With the home side starting to look for the full-time whistle, they found a third from nowhere. Luzern put themselves into trouble with a cross-field pass that Obita seized on to race clear and slot home.
Birthday boy Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts some much-needed Euro encouragement with a crucial second-half goal in a 2-1 defeat by Rosenborg in Trondheim.
Emil Frederiksen put the home side ahead in the 14th minute of the Europa Conference League third qualifying round first leg at the Lerkendal Stadion before 20-year-old Canada international Jayden Nelson made it 2-0 in added time in the first half.
The Jambos had been well off the pace but they responded positively after the break and pulled a goal back in the 78th minute through their skipper on his 28th birthday to perhaps turn the tie in the Gorgie side's favour ahead of the return game at Tynecastle next Thursday night.
Svein Maalen's side, eighth in Norway's Eliteserien after 18 games, had the first attempt on goal inside the opening two minutes when Carlo Holse stabbed a cross wide of the target before 16-year-old Sverre Nypan fired a long-distance
effort over the bar.
However, the home side did deservedly forged ahead when Nypan turned Baningime inside the Hearts box and crossed for Frederiksen to knock into the net from a few yards out after getting in front of Cochrane.
It was midway through the first half before Hearts had a shot on goal but Alan Forrest's low drive was comfortably saved by keeper Andre Hansen.
But in the second minute of first half added time, Nypan raced away from struggling Baningime who pulled up and with the Hearts defence in shreds, he simply slipped the ball to Nelson to beat Clark from close range.
Peter Haring took over from Baningime for the second half and the visitors looked more at ease, and in the 52nd minute Shankland missed the target with a header when he should have hit the target.
But rejuvenated Hearts got the goal they deserved with 12 minutes left when substitute Stephen Kingsley crossed from the left for Scotland striker Shankland to direct a header past Hansen.
The Edinburgh side went in search of a leveller which left Rosenborg looking a bit shaky but they held on for the win, although Hearts will leave Norway confident they can recover the tie in the second leg to set up a meeting with either Hajduk Split or PAOK.
