Hearts take responsibility for Hibs defeat as Claudio Braga speaks out

Claudio Braga stressed Hearts won’t look for excuses after losing to rivals Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final. Mounting injury problems continued for the Tynecastle side, with another two first-team regulars sidelined during the 2-1 defeat at Hampden Park. However, Braga emerged afterwards with an honest assessment of his team’s current predicament.

The Portuguese headed Hearts in front just three minutes into Sunday’s match, but Martin Boyle and Jamie McGrath struck for Hibs before half-time. The second half saw Hearts increase the pressure while Hibs hit on the counter-attack and successfully saw the game out to reach the final.

Braga admitted he and his team-mates take responsibility for the result and won’t use injuries as an excuse. Tomas Magnusson was taken to hospital with concussion following a head collision and top scorer Calvin Miller left Hampden on crutches with his leg in a brace after being forced off.

“The first half was a complete disaster, I would say,” said Braga. “It was just a bad first half. In the second half, I think we started well, but we just couldn't finish the chances we had. Speaking for myself as well, I should have scored to put us ahead. We came into the second half with belief. I was pretty sure we were going to score. We were creating a lot of chances and putting a lot of balls into the box.

“Hibs were playing through our midfield and going on the counter-attack. That's where they were dangerous in the second half. But, to be honest, we had most of the possession. We also had most of the chances and spent a lot of time in their box. So, yeah, the belief was there that we were going to score. It just didn't happen.”

Injuries weren’t reflected on too long post-match. “We didn't really want to talk about that because it's hard for the guys who got injured,” explained Braga. “In a way, it can't be an excuse. It's frustrating, but it can't be an excuse. It was said that we came into the second half with a completely different mentality compared to the 15, 20 or 30 minutes of the first half. We just didn't score, which was a shame.”

The semi-final was the seventh of nine Hearts matches inside a month with 10 first-team regulars now sidelined following injuries to Magnusson and Miller. Braga retained a philosophical attitude on the situation. “It's a big pitch and, of course, it can be that we are a little bit more fatigued because we have European football. But it's just football, to be honest,” he remarked.

“We are working with that because we are in the Conference League, and that's a good thing. We just need to get used to it because if any of us take a step up, or even two steps up, we'll be playing all the time, three times a week. That's something we need to cope with and be happy with. Of course, thank God I'm not injured. It's hard to see everybody getting injured. It's something we just need to get better at controlling. We need to be professional and manage the fatigue during games.

“There are hard feelings today. It matters a lot to the city. Of course, we knew it would be a hard game because it doesn't matter where Hibs are in the table. It's still a derby, so anything can happen. We knew it would be a tough one. The extra motivation would be there for them and for us as well, so it was always going to be a tough game. But then, of course, especially because it was a semi-final, we wanted to go to the final. We want to win these games. More than just a derby, it was also a cup semi-final. We want to win some silverware, and it just didn't happen. It's really frustrating.”

Hearts must now regroup and respond quickly with Thursday’s UEFA Conference League tie in Switzerland against FC Thun looming. Thun, the Swiss champions, were 4-1 down against Lausanne on Sunday but struck four goals in the last 20 minutes to win 5-4. “I think whenever we've had bad results, we've bounced back in a positive way,” Braga pointed out. “That's something we've been working on. Of course, we know it's not always going to be positive. So we need to forget what happened and just bounce back on Thursday.

“It's a big game for us. If we want to get through, we need to win some games, and that's something we need to do. It's a big stage and, of course, there's more travelling involved. But it's something that very professional players at a high level do all the time. So we are doing that, and that's something we just need to be happy about.”

Most of Hearts’ injuries are concentrated in central midfield, Magnusson joining Eduardo Ageu, Tom Renaud, Blair Spittal and Oisin McEntee on the treatment table. “It's a little bit of the same, to be honest. It's just frustrating. It doesn't matter about the position in a way. Of course, it's a little bit harder because now we barely have any midfielders, even for training,” said Braga. “That's frustrating. But it's frustrating to see guys who work with us all week suddenly getting to the end of a game and already needing assistance or having to go to hospital. That's the frustrating part. We've been really unlucky with that.

“Overall, it's a big frustration, of course, because it's a position where we don't have that many players. But everybody who's been playing in positions that maybe aren't their natural positions has been stepping up. So we just need to trust that the next guy will step up. It's all about that. It's frustrating because of the injuries.”