Hibernian's Nathan Lowe looks dejected after missing a big chance during a UEFA Conference League Second Qualifying Round First Leg match between KF Malisheva and Hibernian at Fadil Vokrri Stadium, on July 23, 2026 in Pristina, Kosovo.SNS

Nathan Lowe missed two great second-half chances for Hibernian on his competitive debut

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland at Stadium Fadil Vokrri, Pristina

Hibernian suffered one of their worst ever results as Kosovan minnows FC Malisheva stunned them in the second round of Uefa Conference League qualifying.

Kreshnik Uka's first-half goal punished the Scottish Premiership side for a lacklustre and error-strewn opening when the home side's star man was given space to stroke home from inside the box.

It cranked the pressure up on Hibs, who might have been far more comfortable had Owen Elding's early header not been cleared off the line.

And it was a burden they struggled to carry for the majority of the game on a pitch which proved difficult to stay upright on.

However, David Gray's side did create enough in the second half to at least find an equaliser.

Striker Nathan Lowe, on his Hibs debut, hit the outside of a post when the ball broke to him in the box, while the Stoke City loanee side-footed wide when played through by Martin Boyle.

Miguel Chaiwa also slashed over the bar from 12 yards as Hibs were made to pay significantly for wastefulness in stoppage time when Valmir Nafiu finished a rapid Malisheva counter-attack.

The saving grace for Hibs is they have the second leg to come at Easter Road next Thursday, where they have a chance to revive their hopes of reaching the third qualifying ground.

Analysis: Hibs make false start

This match was like a greatest hits album of a Scottish side in the early rounds of European qualifying.

Largely unheard of opposition who were only formed 10 years ago and had not won a single European tie before last week, on a pitch which cut up so badly players were falling all over the place.

The only missing factor was sweltering heat, although Hibs played the first half as though it was over 30C given how sluggish they looked.

Gray predicted his side would face an aggressive, motivated and intense team and his analysis was spot on.

The problem was his side struggled to cope with it, and when they did dominate possession and territory too often the quality was lacking as pass after pass went astray.

The few hundred Hibs fans who made the journey were at least treated to the sunshine behind a goal in the bowl-like Fadil Vokrri Stadium.

They can also take encouragement from the fact Malisheva have lost all three of their away European matches by a total score of 13-1 - Vikingur of Iceland beat them 8-0 a year ago.

Still, Hibs will need much better next week if they want to continue their quest for the league phase, which looks a daunting task after Malisheva's late second goal.

What they said

Hibernian head coach David Gray: "In terms of the performance, clearly nowhere near the level acceptable for this football club.

"Certainly for the fans that have come all this way to support their team in Europe, for us to offer up that level of performance isn't good enough. I know that, it's my responsibility to fix that.

"The only positive that can come from that is the fact that we've got 90 minutes to try and put it right. I still firmly believe that we are capable of turning it round.

"But I'm not going to talk about the game in terms of chances we had and all these things that are irrelevant. They'd just be excuses at this point."

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