Hibernian overturned a 2-0 first-leg defeat in Kosovo to beat KF Malisheva and progress in the UEFA Conference League, wiping out the deficit inside 15 minutes at Easter Road.

David Gray's side had travelled to Kosovo for the second qualifying round first leg and come away empty-handed, losing 2-0 to a club who had hammered Albania's FK Vllaznia 6-2 on aggregate in the previous round — including a 5-0 second-leg thrashing (BBC Sport). The result drew vocal criticism from the travelling Hibernian support, directed at Gray, who is in his role as head coach (BBC Sport).

Thursday's second leg at Easter Road told a different story. Hibernian scored twice inside the opening quarter-hour, levelling the tie on aggregate before the match had barely settled. The momentum was entirely with the Edinburgh side, and they kept pressing.

Martin Boyle delivered the moment of the night. For Hibernian's fourth goal, he picked the ball up and dribbled past multiple defenders before finishing — a solo effort that brought Easter Road to its feet. Malisheva managed a consolation in the final 20 minutes, but it was window dressing on a night that belonged to the home side.

Hibernian progressed on aggregate, turning a grim trip to Kosovo into a result that keeps their European campaign alive.

What makes the turnaround stand out is the man on the touchline. Gray is not just any head coach at Hibernian — he is the man who, as a player, scored the winning goal in a Scottish Cup final for the club. That header at Hampden Park in 2016 ended a 114-year wait for the trophy and made him a permanent figure in Hibernian folklore. Now he is the one absorbing the heat when results go wrong, as the chants in Kosovo showed, and the one who steadied the ship when it mattered most.

For supporters who made the long trip to Kosovo and came home frustrated, the Easter Road response will have felt like justification for their faith — and their anger. Hibernian are still in Europe, and the next round awaits.