Zambian midfielder Miguel Chaiwa netted his debut goal for Scottish side Hibernian in a 3-3 draw against Legia Warsaw, a result that saw them exit the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night.
Chaiwa was introduced in the 57th minute and was on the scoresheet four minutes later.
Hibernian had come into the match trailing 2-1 from the disappointing first-leg loss, and matters got worse when Vahan Bichakhchyan put Legia in front after 13 minutes to make it 3-1 on aggregate.
However, Hibernian came back strongly after the break. Congolese defender Rocky Bushiri equalised in the 50th minute before captain Martin Boyle levelled the tie in the 59th minute.
Chaiwa then put Hibernian 3-1 up on the night and 4-3 ahead on aggregate with a goal that sparked wild celebrations — his first since joining the club earlier this month.
But just when Hibernian thought they had the game wrapped up, Jurgen Elitim struck in stoppage time to force extra time. Legia later grabbed the winner in the eighth minute of extra time to seal a 5-3 aggregate victory.
Following the disappointment, Hibernian coach David Gray was impressed by his players.
“The result is really difficult to take right now. I have mixed feelings in terms of real disappointment for the players. I’m gutted for them because of what they put in and how brave they were. I am also immensely proud of their level of performance.
“The players did exactly what I asked the players to do, they showed their resilience and bravery. That’s what I thought was missing in the first half, having that belief that we could go and score two goals. I thought the second half performance was outstanding.”
READ MORE: Morocco’s Regragui Prioritises Niger Fixture Over Zambia Clash
