FC Midtjylland’s Europa League qualification campaign began with a 1-1 draw against Hibernian on Thursday. The Danish team will now travel to Scotland for the return leg next Thursday, with the tie finely balanced.

Despite creating opportunities to win, FC Midtjylland failed to deliver their best performance in the home match. Hibernian took an early lead in the sixth minute when Jamie McGrath scored with a surprising free kick, catching goalkeeper Jonas Lössl off guard.

The goal spurred FC Midtjylland into action, and they applied pressure on the Scottish side for much of the first half. However, the attacking duo of Franculino and Adam Buksa were unable to convert their chances. Franculino missed a clear opportunity during a counter-attack, firing the ball over the goal from a promising position. Hibernian also had a goal disallowed for offside.

In the second half, FC Midtjylland continued to push forward, but clear-cut chances were scarce. A dead ball situation eventually led to the equalizer, with Aral Simsir curling a free kick into the corner from over 20 meters in the 70th minute.

With the score level, FC Midtjylland intensified their search for a winning goal. Kevin Mbabu had a significant opportunity with ten minutes remaining, but failed to capitalize.

The winner of the tie will face Norwegian side Fredrikstad FK in the third round of qualification. To reach the main tournament, they would then need to win a playoff round. A loss to Hibernian would see FC Midtjylland move into the Conference League qualification rounds.