Hearts celebrated the career of Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Premier League newcomers Sunderland.
Still recovering from a shoulder injury, Gordon was substituted early in a pre-planned move. A clear indication that his recovery was ongoing after missing the final three games of last season.
Sunderland’s travelling support were in fine voice as their team started brightly. Simon Adingra, a £21 million signing from Brighton, looked lively on the left. However, it was Derek McInnes’s side who took the lead in the 11th minute. A cross from the right found Claudio Braga, whose bullet header sent the home support into raptures. This marked Braga’s fourth goal in Hearts’ maroon, already establishing himself as a fan favourite in Gorgie.
The majority of the first half lacked quality, with neither team carving out clear chances. Hearts were forced to make a precautionary substitution when Calem Nieuwenhof picked up a hamstring issue.
Hearts started the second half well. Efforts from the impressive Oisin McEntee and Lawrence Shankland raised the volume in what had been a subdued Tynecastle atmosphere. Just after the hour mark, Shankland doubled Hearts’ lead. Spittal and Milne linked up from a Hearts corner, firing the ball out to the captain, who drilled it low into the net. The move looked to have been masterminded by Hearts’ set-piece coach, Ross Grant.
Sunderland rarely threatened the Hearts’ goal, appearing several weeks behind their opponents in terms of game time, fitness, and intensity. Regis Le Bris made a remarkable eight changes in the 70th minute, including the introduction of Patrick Roberts. The Hearts faithful gave the former Celtic man a “warm” welcome.
Hearts made their own substitutions, notably bringing on Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis. The wide man proved a constant threat coming in off the left side and was rewarded with a goal after a defensive mistake from the Sunderland defence.
For Hearts, this was a positive way to round off their pre-season. While McInnes noted plans for a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday, this match felt like their final major preparation as they gear up for the visit of Aberdeen in nine days.
Teams
Hearts: Gordon, Kent, Halkett, Nieuwenhof, Shankland, Braga, Devlin, Milne, Findlay, McEntee, Forrester.
Sunderland: Moore, Hume, Ballard, Seelt, Huggins, Neil, Sadiki, Le Fée, Talbi, Adingra, Mayenda.
