Hibernian have qualified for the League Cup final, where they will face Rangers, after defeating city rivals Hearts at Hampden. The match was defined by an early goal from Cláudio Braga, as well as a string of missed chances on both sides.
Braga scored after four minutes, heading home from close range. However, Hibs could have extended their lead, but Felix Passlack and Owen Elding failed to convert their opportunities. Hearts responded through Laurent Mendy, who shot wide, while Braga’s strike was saved and Sabri Guendouz had a shot that Raphael Sallinger pushed over the bar.
Hibs were leading 2-1 five minutes from time, having taken the lead before half-time through goals from Martin Boyle and Jamie McGrath. It is the first time Hibs have scored two goals against a Premiership opponent since August. In midfield, Joe Newell found space and dominance, helping the team control the tempo of the game.
The match was also marked by a heavy head-on collision after which Tomas Magnusson was removed, while Calvin Miller finished the day with a knee brace due to injury. Wouter Vrancken intervened on the bench when it seemed Magnusson would be returned to the game. Hearts had beaten Hibs in three different Edinburgh derbies last season in the 86th, 88th and 90th minutes, but this time a late comeback did not materialise.
Hibs entered the match as the bottom-placed team in the league, without a league win in six games. They had recorded only one win in nine matches across all competitions, against third-tier Ross County, and had scored just four goals in their previous six games, one from a penalty. The team had been eliminated from competitions due to late goals against Midtjylland, Legia Warsaw, Livingston, Dunfermline, Dundee, Motherwell, Gent and St Mirren.
Marink Reedijk is Hibs’ manager and has only just arrived, and this victory over Hearts, their first ever at Hampden, gives him additional credit ahead of the final against Rangers.
