Uganda Cranes defender Jordan Obita was pivotal in Hibernian’s 2-0 win over Partizan in the Europa Conference League qualifiers on Thursday.
Obita provided the assist for the opening goal in the 40th minute, which was expertly finished by Martin Boyle to give the visitors a narrow 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Prior to the goal, Partizan were reduced to 10 men after Vukasin Djurdjevic received a second yellow card for a foul in the 34th minute.
His first yellow card came just five minutes earlier, in the 29th minute.
Hibernian capitalized on their numerical advantage and struck at the right time, just before the break.
Despite having the extra player, Hibernian struggled to add another goal until the 70th minute, when Boyle confidently converted a penalty to secure their 2-0 lead.
There were no more goals in the match, and it’s important to note that Obita played the full 90 minutes.
He’ll be hoping to continue his impactful performances as the two teams face off again next week in Scotland.
This victory comes in the third round of the qualifiers, and while the journey to the Europa Conference League is still long, each step brings them closer.
Meanwhile, Obita’s compatriot, Rogers Mato, saw his European campaign with Vardar from North Macedonia end in the second round when they were eliminated by Anderlecht.
