Understrength and ravaged by injury, Hearts produced a courageous display against Trabzonspor but succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in the UEFA Conference League. A Mo Salah penalty and Dju Franculino’s strike ensured the Edinburgh club got no reward other than some restored pride for their efforts on the edge of the Black Sea. Trabzonspor didn’t deliver a vintage performance but it was sufficient to see off their Scottish visitors.
Hearts lost Harry Milne to a potential long-term injury before the game, and Christian Borchgrevink went off injured during the first half to compound the Tynecastle side’s seemingly-relentless injury problems. Salah’s penalty came after a promising start by the Tynecastle side, who got forward numerous times in the game but lacked some quality final balls. Franculino’s goal just before the hour mark put the game beyond them. Trabzonspor’s Sidny Cabral was sent off in the dying seconds for a second yellow card, but that mattered little to the outcome.
Garnering any kind of result from this game was always likely to be tough, but Hearts can take comfort from the fact they matched their opponents for long spells despite missing many influential players. Had they made better use of the ball in space up front, they could have caused the Turks more problems. Trabzonspor seemed content to see the game out after scoring their second goal and did so.
Many Hearts fans spent the afternoon in Trabzon’s Barikat Bar in the city centre before journeying west to the stadium. They knew their team were on a hiding to nothing against a Trabzonspor squad worth more than £150m. The Hearts squad would be worth an estimated £25m to £30m by comparison and is also severely weakened by injuries. Milne is the latest victim after damaging a knee here in Wednesday’s pre-match training session. He could miss the rest of the campaign. Winger Rogers Mato deputised at left-back against the threat of Salah, with full-back Jordi Altena selected in central midfield.
This was the second Conference League tie for both sides and the challenge for the visitors was to avoid another heavy defeat following Sunday’s 7-1 Premiership reverse at Celtic Park. Thankfully, they were far more defensively disciplined in this game than in Glasgow. Papara Park filled up nicely as kick-off approached and the locals made their usual din, jeering and whistling whenever Hearts had possession. Just over 400 Hearts fans made their own noise high in the corner of the stadium.
Trabzonspor left a few established names on the bench like Fabinho, Ernest Muci and Wagner Pina. They started tamely, while Hearts struck a post on six minutes through Malachi Fagan-Walcott’s header. A promising opening from Wouter Vrancken’s side continued despite a Trabzonspor penalty appeal for handball against Jordi Altena. Offside in the build-up rendered the incident academic after a long VAR review. Another penalty claim arrived moments later when Christian Borchgrevink bundled into Sidny Cabral inside the area. Referee Lawrence Visser dismissed it.
He wasn’t slow to issue yellow cards to players and also booked Vrancken for protesting after Christian Borchgrevink’s caution. Vrancken and Visser have history from Belgium after the official sent the coach off whilst at Genk. When Visser pointed to the spot on 30 minutes, however, Vrancken could have little complaint. Tomas Magnusson’s challenge from behind on Trabzonspor striker Dju Francilino was clumsy and illegal. Salah calmly converted the penalty down the middle to open the scoring.
Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus beat away Benjamin Bouchouari’s driven shot to prevent a 2-0 deficit at the break. Mato was getting space down the left with Salah not keen to track his attacking runs. That looked like the Tynecastle side’s best option for creating an opening. In midfield, Altena was passing the ball well. However, Trabzonspor patiently waited for the time to strike again and it arrived on 58 minutes.
The Turks played their way through midfield and fed striker Franculino on the right. He drifted inside, passed the ball through Mato’s legs to Salah, took the return and dispatched it into the net to finish off an excellent attacking move. Reus got a hand to the ball but couldn’t stop it. Salah was substituted on 70 minutes and Hearts then introduced Josh McPake, Sabah Kerjota and JJ Williams.
The closing stages saw the visitors striving for a way back into the match, primarily through McPake’s runs. However, the Trabzonspor back line weren’t allowing it. They wanted a clean sheet and, while also probing for a third goal, were happy enough after scoring twice. Cabral was sent off for a second yellow card for fouling Kerjota, but this team now have two victories from two Conference League games.
Hearts have one draw and one defeat ahead of their trip to FC Thun in two weeks. The away fans applauded and chanted at full-time as players left the field. It was a reasonable redemption exercise after Celtic Park.
Here are the Hearts player ratings from Trabzon:
1. GK: Beau Reus
6/10 Beaten by Salah's penalty. Beat away Bouchouari’s attempt. Got a hand to the second goal but couldn't stop it. | SNS Group
2. RB: Christian Borchgrevink
4/10 Yellow-carded early and had to be careful against Saviolo. Forced off injured before half-time. | SNS
3. RCB: Malachi Fagan-Walcott
7/10 Early header off the post. Strong at the back and showed his range of passing with forward balls. | SNS Group
4. LCB: Jamie McCart
7/10 Stood strong under pressure and did the basic defending well. | SNS Group