Owen Elding sees penalty saved but Hibernian get a draw in Belgium

Hibernian's Owen Elding. Pic: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

Owen Elding missed a first-half penalty as Hibernian had to settle for a creditable 0-0 draw away to Gent in the first leg of their Conference League play-off.

For the second Thursday night running, the Hibees dug deep to secure a valuable clean sheet on foreign soil after holding firm to eliminate Shkendija in North Macedonia last week.

But it could have been even better in Belgium had Irish forward Elding not seen his 15th minute spot-kick saved by Davy Roef.

Nonetheless, the result leaves Hibs in a strong position to secure European group stage football for the first time when the teams reconvene at Easter Road next week.

Hibs boss David Gray made four changes to the side that started Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup win over Partick Thistle as Felix Passlack, Jordan Obita, Miguel Chaiwa and Josh Campbell were all added to an XI that looked selected with a view of trying to frustrate the hosts.

Both sides finished fifth in their domestic leagues last season and went into this play-off in good fettle, with Gent unbeaten in their six competitive matches this term and the Hibees undefeated in their last four.

The Belgians started on the front foot, with Laszlo Benes’ early shot easily saved by Raphael Sallinger before Momodou Sonko blazed over after a free-kick into the box broke to him 15 yards out.

But Hibs’ first notable venture into the final third earned them a penalty, with Warren O’Hora fouled by Mouhamed Ngom as the pair tussled for a loose ball on the right of the box.

Elding stepped up to take it but his spot-kick was pushed away by goalkeeper Roef, who dived to his right.

That would prove to be comfortably the best chance of the first half. Gent threatened in the 24th minute when Josue Vergara got away from Jason Kerr on the edge of the box and saw an effort well saved by Sallinger.

Sonko then cut in from the left and drove wide of the far post before Matties Volckaert headed over from just outside the six-yard box.

Hibs were generally keeping the Belgians at arm’s length and they had a rare sight of goal themselves in the 50th minute when Josh Campbell headed wide from a corner.

At the other end, Volckaert saw a looping header clawed away by Sallinger before Tiago Araujo almost caught the Hibees keeper out with a speculative attempt from close to the halfway line that drifted just over.

Gent sent on former Falkirk loanee Kyrell Wilson and the forward spurned a golden chance to break the deadlock in the 70th minute when he got his footing all wrong at the back post as he tried to knock Araujo’s cross into the gaping goal inside the six-yard box.

Sub Ibrahima Cisse missed another opportunity for the hosts in stoppage time but resilient Hibs were worthy of their clean sheet.

Elsewhere, Brighton had to settle for a goalless draw from the first leg of their Conference League play-off away to Tromso in Norway.

The Seagulls, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season and open the new domestic campaign against Aston Villa on Sunday, created several good chances but could not find a way past Tromso keeper Jakob Haugaard.

Winger Ibrahim Osman – making his Brighton debut following three loan spells away – looked particularly lively during the first half, while Yasin Ayari also later forced another decent stop from Haugaard.

Tromso almost snatched a late winner on the break, but defender Isak Vadebu sent his shot wide as the tie went into next week’s second leg at The Amex Stadium all square.

Luka Vuskovic had started in Brighton’s defence following his club-record £46million move from Tottenham, while fellow summer arrivals Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha and Michael Svoboda were on the bench.

Midfielder Carlos Baleba, linked with Manchester United, has been carrying an ankle injury and was not involved, neither was winger Yankuba Minteh, who is a reported target for Liverpool.

Brighton, whose players had reimbursed the cost of match tickets for the 407 travelling supporters making the journey into the Arctic Circle, had made a positive start on the artificial pitch at the Romssa Stadium.

Osman – who had signed in 2024 before going out on loan to Feyenoord, Auxerre and then Birmingham in January last season – saw his early effort at the back post blocked by Isak Dahlqvist.

The 21-year-old Ghanaian then went down under a challenge from Dahlqvist after getting ahead of the Tromso defender, but penalty appeals were waved away.

Tromso – who dropped down from the Europa League qualifiers and sit third in Norway’s Eliteserien, having played 17 games – looked to threaten on the break through Troy Nyhammer and Lars Olden Larsen.

Osman sparked into life again when he chested the ball down and fired in a volley, which forced a fine reaction save from Tromso keeper Jakob Haugaard. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Brighton defender Olivier Boscagli sent his header over at a corner.

Tromso were soon on the offensive after the restart. Larsen latched on to a pass up field and raced clear, but Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen was out to make a smart save.

Brighton, though, settled again as Yasin Ayari’s angled strike was pushed out by another good stop from Haugaard.

Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler looked to freshen up his side heading into the final 20 minutes as Charalampos Kostoulas and Amario Cozier-Duberry replaced Diego Gomez and Malick Yalcouye.

The substitutes soon combined when Kostoulas headed over from Cozier-Duberry’s cross, before Tromso broke away with three minutes left as Vadebu raced clear, but the full-back could not find the finish.