How all seven Hearts players fared on international duty as one breaks his scoring duck
Jambos returning after representing Scotland, Australia and Costa Rica
Seven international Hearts players are filtering back into Riccarton after representing their countries over the last week. With a Premiership trip to Celtic on the horizon, there is no time to waste as they settle back into daily club business.
Goalkeeper Zander Clark and captain Lawrence Shankland were both part of the Scotland squad for UEFA Nations League ties against Poland and Portugal. Shankland featured as a 71st-minute substitute against the Poles as Scotland lost 3-2 at Hampden Park last Thursday, but Clark remained on the bench. Both men were again among the subs in Lisbon on Sunday without making an appearance, so they will be fresh for league action this weekend.
Costa Rica enjoyed a productive international break in the CONCACAF Nations League. They beat Guadeloupe 3-0 and drew 0-0 away to Guatemala, with Hearts defender Gerald Taylor involved. He was an unused substitute against Guadeloupe but played 78 minutes of the match in Guatemala. His Tynecastle team-mate Kenneth Vargas did not feature in any of the games, with the second one shrouded in mystery. Details on that story can be found here: Vargas in international mystery
In Australia, the latest phase of qualifying for World Cup 2026 began rather ignominiously for the Socceroos. They lost 1-0 at home to Bahrain last Thursday, with Hearts defender Kye Rowles playing 90 minutes in central defence. Midfielder Cammy Devlin was an unused substitute. Then came a 0-0 draw away to Indonesia. This time Rowles featured as an 86th-minute substitute, and again Devlin was left on the bench.
One Hearts player who will remember this international fortnight is Lewis Neilson, the defender currently on loan at St Johnstone. He played every minute of Scotland’s two European Under-21 Championship qualifiers and broke his national team scoring duck in the process. After a 2-1 defeat by Spain at Tynecastle last Friday, Neilson scored the young Scots’ fifth goal as they won 5-0 in Malta on Tuesday.