A Slow Burn at Easter Road
For long stretches of this one, it genuinely looked like it might finish goalless. Shkendija actually made the more confident start, coming out with real intent in the opening ten minutes and forcing Hibs to settle before they could get any real foothold in the game. Once David Gray’s side did find their rhythm, though, the game shifted their way — even if the finishing touch took a good while longer to arrive.
The first proper sight of goal came in the 13th minute, Adam Mayor floating a free-kick to the back post where Jason Kerr got a glancing header on it, only for the ball to bounce agonisingly wide. Not long after, a nicely worked move sent Josh Mulligan through with a pass for Martin Boyle inside the box, and the forward’s turn-and-shot took a deflection just wide for a corner. Chances, in other words, but nothing to actually show for them. That pattern held for most of the first half — Hibs probing, occasionally threatening, Shkendija defending in numbers and staying disciplined without much of the ball themselves.
Sallinger Called Into Action, Then Hibs Find a Way Through
Shkendija came out with more purpose after the interval, looking for a way to punish a game that had drifted away from them territorially. Rafa Sallinger had to be sharp in the Hibs goal, pulling off a smart save to deny Drilon Islami’s deflected effort from finding the net, while Mulligan and Miguel Chaiwa both had chances of their own fly wide at the other end as the game opened up a little.
It was the changes from the bench that finally broke the deadlock, though. David Gray turned to fresh legs, bringing on Callum Wright — making his competitive debut in the process — and Ante Suto. Suto was involved almost immediately, laying the ball off for Felix Passlack, whose stinging effort was straight at the Shkendija keeper Ramani. Wright, meanwhile, looked lively from the moment he stepped on the pitch, and he made the difference in the 73rd minute — driving to the byline before whipping in a dangerous low ball that Owen Elding met with an audacious back-heeled flick to give Hibs a deserved lead.
The celebrations didn’t last long, though. Shkendija hit back almost immediately, leveling things inside three minutes through Marko Gjorgjievski to make it 1-1 and threaten to snatch something from a game that had increasingly been going Hibs’ way. For a few tense minutes, it looked like Hibs might have to settle for a share of the spoils on a night where they’d created the better chances but couldn’t quite turn territory into a result.
O’Hora’s Late Header Settles It
Hibs weren’t done, though. Deep into stoppage time, in the 90th minute, Jordan Obita swung in a corner from the right, and Warren O’Hora rose to bundle the ball home, restoring the lead right at the death and sparking wild celebrations around Easter Road. It was as dramatic a finish as this competition tends to produce, and it gave Hibs exactly the kind of platform they’ll have wanted heading into the return leg.
What It Means Next
Speaking afterward, head coach David Gray was pleased with the response, saying his side will only get better from here as the tie progresses, and there’s a lot to be positive about heading to North Macedonia. Hibs now travel to Skopje for the second leg with a slender but valuable 2-1 lead, aiming to reach the Conference League play-off round and secure European football for the first time since the 2005-06 UEFA Cup. For Shkendija, who’d started their qualifying campaign so strongly with a 5-0 demolition of Europa FC in the first round, this is a case of a spirited comeback that ultimately fell just short — and now they’ll need something special at home to turn the tie back in their favour.
Match Summary
Hibernian 2-1 Shkendija UEFA Conference League, Third Qualifying Round, 1st Leg — Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland Thursday, 6 August 2026
Goals: 73′ Owen Elding (Hibernian) 1-0 76′ Marko Gjorgjievski (Shkendija) 1-1 90′ Warren O’Hora (Hibernian) 2-1 (assist: Jordan Obita)
Result: Hibernian win the first leg 2-1, taking a valuable lead into the second leg in Skopje.
For live Conference League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Conference League website.
