Hearts‘ Champions League campaign concluded with a 2-0 home defeat to Sturm Graz, resulting in a 6-0 aggregate loss in the second qualifying round. The Edinburgh side, playing their first Champions League campaign in two decades, were unable to overcome a four-goal deficit from the first leg.
Head coach Wouter Vrancken had expressed a desire for a “magical, historic night” at Tynecastle, despite his team trailing 4-0 from the initial match in Austria. He had emphasised the need for his players to be “almost perfect” to achieve a comeback.
Match Overview
The match began with Hearts showing some early promise, creating moments that offered hope to the home supporters. Malachi Fagan-Walcott glanced a header wide from a free-kick, and Blair Spittal had a shot blocked from the edge of the box, before firing another attempt high over the crossbar from a similar position.
However, Sturm Graz soon asserted control. A significant moment occurred in the 16th minute when Alexander Schwolow, in what was his final appearance for Hearts before joining Mainz, made a crucial save to deny Szymon Wlodarczyk after a defensive error. Schwolow also produced other fine saves in the first half to keep the score level.
Sturm Graz believed they had taken the lead in the 26th minute when Seedy Jatta slotted the ball into the net. However, the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, with the forward deemed to have fouled Harry Milne.
Despite the early pressure from Hearts, Sturm Graz became increasingly threatening as the first half progressed. Seedy Jatta had another chance, blasting into the side netting, and Schwolow was called into action again to thwart Jatta before Jacob Hodl‘s rebound effort was cleared off the line by Stephen Kingsley.
Second Half and Elimination
Hearts appeared sharper in the second half, with Oisin McEntee‘s header requiring a goal-line clearance to maintain the goalless scoreline. However, Sturm Graz ultimately secured their victory with two goals midway through the second half.
The opening goal came in the 64th minute when Simon Seidl struck an angled shot beyond Schwolow after receiving a flick-on from captain Jon Gorenc. Just four minutes later, Emran Soglo added a second goal for the visitors, bundling the ball in after his initial effort was blocked by Schwolow.
The 2-0 defeat on the night, combined with the 4-0 loss in the first leg, resulted in a 6-0 aggregate scoreline, marking Hearts‘ heaviest defeat in a two-legged European tie. The team also experienced their first home defeat in 15 months.
During the match, Hearts also saw Stephen Kingsley and Alexandros Kyziridis leave the field due to injuries. Wouter Vrancken had made three changes to the starting line-up from the first leg, bringing in Jordi Altena and captain Kingsley to the defence, and giving Sabri Guendouz his first start in support of striker Claudio Braga.
Following their elimination from the Champions League, Hearts will now enter the Europa League third qualifying round. They are set to face the winner of the tie between St Gallen and Benfica. St Gallen currently holds a 2-1 advantage from the first leg of that fixture.
Hearts will begin their Scottish Premiership campaign with a trip to Aberdeen on Saturday.
Source: bbc.co.uk