10-man Asteras knocked out of Europe by Hibernian
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2ND QUALIFYING ROUND (LEG 2)
| Asteras Tripolis | 1 - 1 | Hibernian |
|---|---|---|
| Tsilianidis 56' |
3 - 4 Agg |
McGinn 44' |
Asteras Tripolis followed fellow SuperLeague club Atromitos out of the Europa League at the 2nd qualifying round stage on Thursday after only managing a 1-1 home draw against Hibernian in second leg of their 2nd qualifying round tie - a result which sent the Scottish Premier League club through 4-3 on aggregate.
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Hibs, who produced a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win last week’s first leg 3-2, took a deserved 44th-minute lead through John McGinn as the visitors controlled the first half exchanges.
Asteras’ hopes of getting back in the game were dealt a severe blow just three minutes after half-time when forward Michalis Manias was sent off after picking up a second booking.
But, as often can be the case when the odds are stacked against a team, the dismissal seemed to galvanize the home side, and Kosmas Tsilianidis equalised in the 55th minute much to the delight of the home supporters.
Despite playing at a numerical disadvantage, Asteras then contrived to miss three one-on-one opportunities in the last 20 minutes of the match, with substitute forward Anastasios Douvikas guilty of missing two of them, and captain Walter Iglesias the other.
Hibs then held firm to claim the draw that they needed to earn a 3rd qualifying round meeting with Norwegian outfit Molde.
It was a second disappointing result for Greek football in the space of an hour, following hot on the heels of Atromitos agonising exit in the same round against Dinamo Brest 4-5 on aggregate after they conceded a 95th-minute goal.
HIGHLIGHTS: ΑSTERAS TRIPOLIS - HIBERNIAN
