Hearts Suffer Heavy Defeat in Champions League Opener
Wouter Vrancken’s side did not get the start they were hoping for in their Champions League campaign, falling to a 4-0 defeat away to Sturm Graz — a scoreline that will be difficult to overturn in the second leg.
The Austrian side struck early, taking the lead after just four minutes. A long throw into the box from Jeyland Mitchell found Jon Gorenc Stankovic, who headed the ball into the top corner.
There were no further goals before the break, and Hearts looked lively going forward. Both Landry Kabore and Alexandros Kyziridis had good chances but were unable to find the net.
Sturm Graz made a change at the start of the second half, replacing Simon Seidl with Otar Kiteshvili. The substitution paid off almost immediately, with Kiteshvili teeing up Mitchell for the home side’s second goal in the 50th minute.
What followed was a devastating spell for Hearts, as Sturm Graz scored three goals in the space of nine minutes. Seventeen-year-old Luca Weinhandl added the third before Jürgen Heil completed the rout with the fourth.
The return leg takes place at Tynecastle next Tuesday, where Hearts will look to claw back the deficit.
Should Hearts overturn the tie, they will face either Fenerbahçe or Górnik Zabrze in the next round. If they lose, they will drop into the Europa League third qualifying round, where they would face either St Gallen or Benfica.