Hearts suffered a significant Champions League qualifying defeat, losing 4-0 to Sturm Graz in the second qualifying round first leg. The match, held at the Liebenauer Stadium, marked the debut of new head coach Wouter Vrancken, who joined the club from Belgium.
The Edinburgh side conceded early in both halves from set-pieces, with two additional goals conceded before the hour mark. Despite creating several chances in the first half, Hearts were unable to convert, leaving them with a substantial challenge for the second leg at Tynecastle.
Vrancken’s Debut and Team Changes
Wouter Vrancken took over as head coach after Derek McInnes departed for Rangers, a move that also saw key players Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin join the Glasgow club. Vrancken‘s first starting XI included two debutants, wide player Calvin Miller and centre-back Malachi Fagan-Walcott. Jamie McCart was also preferred over Stuart Findlay in central defence.
The club has seen considerable change in the two months since the league title was lost, with 10 new signings arriving. Among these new additions are goalkeeper Beau Reus and forward Severin Guendouz, both from Belgian clubs. The team also appointed Liam Ross as set-piece coach, replacing Ross Grant, who moved to Celtic.
Despite these changes and the attacking intent shown in the first half, the team’s defensive vulnerabilities were exposed. Set-pieces, which were a strength for Hearts last season, became a significant weakness in this match.
Match Incidents and Defensive Struggles
Sturm Graz opened the scoring within four minutes from a long throw, with Jon Gorenc Stankovic heading home after outjumping McCart. Hearts had opportunities to equalise, with Claudio Braga forcing a save and Landry Kabore shooting directly at the goalkeeper from close range. Alexandros Kyziridis also missed a chance, flicking the ball wide after good work from Braga.
A penalty initially awarded to Graz for a handball against Harry Milne was reversed after a VAR review. However, the second half saw Graz dominate, with Jeyland Mitchell scoring from a corner in the 50th minute. Luca Weinhandl added a third goal three minutes later, and Emran Soglo curled a shot off the far post before Jurgen Heil scored the fourth in the 59th minute.
The defensive performance was highlighted by instances where players like Schwolow appeared more focused on pushing away an attacker than dealing with the ball, and Kabore misjudged the flight of a corner. The back-line, including Jamie McCart and Christian Borchgrevink, looked vulnerable throughout the match.
Implications for European Competition
The 4-0 defeat means Hearts face a challenging task to progress in the Champions League qualifiers. The team is now likely to drop into the Europa League, where they could potentially face Benfica or Swiss side St Gallen. The winners of the tie between Sturm Graz and Hearts are set to play against either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabrze.
This result marks a difficult start for Vrancken, whose arrival was intended to usher in a new era for the club after a season where they finished as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership. The team’s European campaign continues with the second leg at Tynecastle next Tuesday.
Source: bbc.com