Last-Minute Heroics: St Mirren's Alex Greive Claims Sensational Victory against Hibernian at Easter Road

St Mirren sealed a thrilling 3-2 win against Hibernian in their cinch Premiership opener at Easter Road, thanks to a late header by substitute Alex Greive. The Buddies showcased their dominance early on with goals from Mark O'Hara and Toyosi Olusanya in the opening 17 minutes.

Paisley appeared to have squandered their opportunity for three points as Hibs retaliated with goals from Adam Le Fondre and Christian Doidge in the second half. However, in the 88th minute, Greive scored, resulting in a disheartening beginning to the hosts' league campaign before their Europa Conference League qualifier against FC Luzern on Thursday.

How St Mirren edged Hibs in Easter Road thriller

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Hibs made a single required alteration to their lineup from their 6-1 triumph in the Conference League qualifiers against Inter d'Escaldes. David Marshall, who sustained an injury during the warm-up against the Andorrans, returned to replace the injured Jojo Wollacott as the goalkeeper.

Similarly, Saints initially made one change to the lineup that started their Viaplay Cup victory over Forfar the previous weekend. Greg Kiltie took the position of Stav Nahmani.

However, Stephen Robinson had to make another change when Mikael Mandron got injured during the warm-up, and fellow striker Olusanya was brought on from the substitutes' bench.

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Mark O'Hara celebrates scoring St Mirren's opener

In the 15th minute, the visitors achieved a breakthrough by earning a penalty. This occurred after Joe Newell was judged to have tripped Kiltie in the box, as confirmed by VAR. Captain O'Hara confidently took the penalty, cleverly sending Marshall in the opposite direction.

O'Hara brilliantly sliced through the Hibs defense with a perfectly executed through-ball, allowing Olusanya, who had been on loan at Arbroath in the latter part of the previous season, to effortlessly run past and score, leaving Marshall helpless as the ball went through his legs. The visitors extended their lead in just two minutes. Twitter

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Manager Lee Johnson responded to the frustrations of the Hibs supporters by making a double substitution after just 28 minutes. He replaced Allan Delferriere and Josh Campbell with Dylan Levitt and Jordan Obita. Despite the changes, the hosts' play remained unaffected, as the Buddies kept them comfortably at bay for the rest of the first half.

Indeed, the visitors maintained their threatening stance, demonstrated by O'Hara's skillful header from Kiltie's corner that reached the side-netting within minutes of the half-hour mark. The anticipation continued to rise as Marcus Fraser artfully curled a 20-yard free-kick, narrowly missing the target in the 44th minute.

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Adam Le Fondre wheels away in celebration after pulling a goal back for Hibernian against St Mirren

In the 57th minute, Hibs had an opportunity to score when Elie Youan made a strong run from the right. However, Zach Hemming managed to save the Frenchman's powerful shot from a difficult angle.

After some time, the hosts managed to equalize in the 72nd minute. 36-year-old Le Fondre skillfully placed a low shot into the net from outside the penalty area, following a precise pass from Doidge.

And 10 minutes later they reached an equal score when Doidge, who had returned to the team after spending the previous season on loan at Kilmarnock, sprinted towards a low delivery from Youan and calmly converted from a distance of six yards.

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Christian Doidge celebrates his equaliser with team-mate Elie Youan

What's next?

St Mirren play their first home game of the season on August 12 against Dundee. Both games kick off at 3pm.