Logan Jimenez and his Hibernian Under-18 teammates saw their Scottish Youth Cup journey end at the quarter-final stage on Tuesday evening, falling to a clinical 3-0 defeat against city rivals Hearts at Oriam.
Hibs asserted their dominance early in the Edinburgh Derby, controlling the tempo and leaving the visitors frustrated in a high-stakes encounter. For Bermudian international Jimenez, the night began on a contentious note. In the 13th minute, the versatile forward appeared to be brought down inside the Hearts penalty area. However, rather than pointing to the spot, the referee booked Jimenez for simulation, a decision that sparked protests from the Hibernian bench.
Hearts capitalized on that momentum just six minutes later. Tommy North carved open the Hibs defence with a slide-rule pass, allowing center-forward Connor Dow to race through and coolly slot the opener past Vautherin.
The hosts doubled their lead before the interval through Keir McMeekin. The midfielder picked up the ball 25 yards out and unleashed a drilled effort that stayed low, nestling into the bottom corner of the net.
Hibernian pushed for a route back into the match in the second half, with Jimenez testing the Hearts backline with his pace, but the result was put beyond doubt late on. McMeekin turned provider, ghosting to the byline and cutting the ball back for substitute Charlie Sanders, who fired home from close range to seal Hearts' place in the semi-finals.
For Jimenez—who recently made his senior Bermuda debut in World Cup qualifying—the focus now returns to the CAS Elite Youth League, where Hibernian remain in a tightly contested title race.
|