At Hampden Park, with two minutes left and Hearts pressing, Claudio Braga found himself alone a few yards from goal. He had already scored once. One more touch could have sent the Edinburgh derby into extra time and revived Hibernian’s familiar fear of a late collapse. Braga missed. Hibs held on to win 2-1 and reach the League Cup final against Rangers.
The result was a sharp change of mood for a club that had spent a difficult season near the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. Hibs had gone six league games without a win and had managed only one victory in their previous nine matches in all competitions. That made the semi-final feel less like a sure step toward a final than a test of whether the team could finally turn its promise into a result.
Hearts made the stronger start. In the fourth minute, Braga headed in from close range, and Hibs were behind. But Hibs grew into the match. Joe Newell found room in midfield, while the team pressed with more organisation and energy than they had shown in recent weeks. Martin Boyle and Jamie McGrath scored before half-time to put Hibs in front. It was the first time since August that they had scored twice against an opponent from the Premiership.
Their lead did not make the closing minutes comfortable. Hibs supporters had seen late goals undo their team in several Edinburgh derbies the season before, including Hearts winners in the 86th, 88th and 90th minutes. Other late setbacks against teams such as Midtjylland, Legia Warsaw, Livingston and St Mirren had added to the feeling that a match could slip away at any moment. This time, with five minutes left, Hibs still led. Then Braga got his chance to equalise and could not take it.
The miss released a burst of joy from the Hibs end. For new manager Marink Reedijk, who had only recently arrived, beating Hearts in a cup semi-final was a powerful way to connect with supporters. The win also offered a glimpse of what Hibs might be when their talented players, pressing and confidence come together. The season’s league form has not yet been turned around, and one cup result cannot answer every question about the club. But at Hampden, Hibs showed they could recover from an early setback, take their chances and withstand the pressure at the end.
Now they have a League Cup final against Rangers to look forward to. For a team that arrived at the semi-final as an underdog, the day brought something more than a place in the final: relief from the expectation that the ending would go wrong. For once, the late twist belonged to Hibs: they held on, and the sucker punch never came.