As Hibs were looking likely to progress, two late goals by the Belgian side ended the Hibees’ European dream.
Gent had the first chance after just four minutes — a cross into the box saw Gent find the net, but the goal didn’t stand following a foul on Sallinger. Moments later, Boyle had a chance from inside the box, but a brilliant deflection denied Hibs the opener.
A sloppy error in the middle of the park by Chaiwa allowed the Belgian side to get an attack going. Gent were unable to get the ball into the box, which was blocked and out for a corner, but Gent were unable to make anything of it.
Twenty-three minutes in, Gent almost had a chance, but multiple players all collided at once, which saw off any potential chance for the visitors.
Lowe had a chance for the Hibees on 27 minutes, striking with his weaker foot, but ultimately smashing well over the target, as both sides continued to battle for an opener.
Gent shortly had a chance, an attempt from just inside the box, but it was a simple catch for the Hibernian number one.
Vergara had a big chance on 36 minutes — a cross into the box found the head of the Gent striker, but the header was straight into the gloves of Sallinger, which was a simple catch for the Hibs number one.
The Belgian side went ahead on 39 minutes. A low cross into the box found Vergara, who took a nice touch, spun around with brilliant control, and struck a composed effort into the bottom left-hand corner, as the Hibees trailed in the tie.
Hibs moments later had a chance, as Boyle, on the left-hand side, cut onto his right and fired a strike towards goal, but Roef did well to deny the equaliser.
As half-time was blown, performance-wise it wasn’t a bad half for Hibs, but it was the Belgian side who took their chance when it came, whereas Hibs hadn’t tested Roef enough. They would look to salvage an equaliser in the second 45.
Into the second period, Hibs quickly responded [as written, this sentence isn’t quite clear — it says the shot “was stopped by Boyle, which fooled the keeper,” then says Boyle reclaimed the ball and scored, which reads as though Boyle stopped his own teammate’s shot. You may want to check whether this should say the shot was saved by the keeper, with Boyle reclaiming the rebound]. After a VAR check, the goal was ruled out following a handball in the build-up by Nathan Lowe.
Hibs were level on 56 minutes, as a ball was whipped into the back post by Jamie McGrath, where Jason Kerr was lurking and powerfully headed home to give Hibs a deserved equaliser — Kerr’s first goal for the Edinburgh side.
A better second-half display by David Gray’s men, as both sides continued to battle for a winner, with both eager to avoid an additional 30 minutes.
Passlack fired the Hibees in front with 13 minutes to spare — a brilliant piece of individual play by the former Dortmund man, who found a low, powerful strike from a tight angle into the bottom left-hand corner, sending the Hibs supporters behind the net into mayhem.
Burgess levelled the game up late on, following a corner whipped into the box, where the former Ipswich man smashed the ball into the centre of the net to bring the game to 2-2.
Gent delivered a massive blow in stoppage time, as Seck made a goal-bound, darting run and slotted it across goal, where Chaiwa turned it into his own net — a big blow for Hibs.
It kept going downhill as Chaiwa was shown red very late on, as Gent looked likely to progress and dump Hibs out.
Overall, not good enough by Hibs, as boos rang around the ground, Gent progressed, and Hibs’ European tour came to an end and now it’s just Celtic and Hearts playing European League phase football.
Hibernian: Sallinger (6), Obita (5), O’Hora (5), Kerr (7), Passlack (7), Mulligan (8), Chaiwa (4), Mayor (7), McGrath(8), Boyle (8), Lowe (6).
Substitutes: Suto(6), Wright (6), Megwa (6).
KAA Gent: Roef (7), Ngom (7), Burgess (8), van der Heyden (7), Araujo (8), Delorge (8), De Vlieger (7), Volckaert (6), Kadri (7), Sonko (7), Vergara (8).
Substitutes: Seck(6), Wilson (7), Cisse (6), Lopes (6), Benes (6).