Hearts Fall to Plzen, Ending Europa League Run

Hearts ended their Europa League campaign with a fifth consecutive defeat, this time against Viktoria Plzen, despite starting strong. Down 1-0 from the first leg in the Czech Republic, Hearts needed to perform aggressively at Tynecastle. However, their recent struggles persisted and just as they began to show improvement in the second half, Lukas Cerv scored from the edge of the box, crushing Hearts’ hopes of a comeback.

Hearts’ goalkeeper Craig Gordon expressed frustration, pointing out that “crazy” errors were causing the team to “beat themselves” and questioning why these mistakes kept happening. He stressed the need for the team to address and stop these repeated errors. Despite Daniel Vasulin creating several chances with Gordon and right-back Gerald Taylor denying him, and some attempts from Stephen Kingsley, Hearts lacked conviction in the final third.

The team missed the presence of captain Lawrence Shankland, struggling to break through Plzen’s defense. Yutaro Oda’s introduction injected some energy but it wasn’t enough to change the result. Hearts will now compete in the Conference League which serves as a consolation after their disappointing exit from the Europa League. They will discover their Conference League opponents in the draw on Friday.

Head coach Steven Naismith admitted that the team lacked quality in the final third and continued to struggle with consistency and formation. He said the game slipped away due to another “cheap goal” and commended Plzen for their defensive discipline and game management. With five consecutive defeats and only two goals scored this season, Naismith needs to find solutions quickly as a busy schedule looms.