Hearts broken as Belgrade keep their scoring promise.

McPherson puts Tynecastle men ahead, but Yugoslavs snatch vital goal

JIM REYNOLDS

23 Aug 1996

Hearts......1, Red Star.....1 (Agg:1-1, Red Star win on away goals).

HEARTS tumbled out of Europe as the talented young men of Red Star did what they have been saying they would do for the past fortnight - score in this Cup-winners' Cup qualifying tie, second leg.

The Yugoslavs had declared they were not too worried that the first-leg had finished in a no-scoring draw in Belgrade, and their confidence was justified when they earned a draw at Tynecastle.

The big difference is, of course, that last night's score was 1-1 and now the Yugoslavs will go into today's draw for the first round on the strength of that away goal.

Yet it all looked so bright for the Scots when captain Dave McPherson sent the crowd of just over 15,000 into raptures with a powerful header to put Hearts ahead two minutes from the interval.

As he had been in Belgrade, McPherson was magnificent again, but he could do nothing in 59 minutes when Red Star equalised.

The new Yugoslav wonder boy, Perica Ognjenovic, had been kept quiet for most of the night by Pasquale Bruno, but it was Ognjenovic who set up the equaliser with a perfectly placed corner kick to the back post, where Vinko Marinovic took advantage of slack marking to head the ball in.

From then on it was a desperate battle by Hearts.

They threw everything at Red Star, but the visiting defence held firm and the Scots went out.

Hearts made two changes from the first leg, with Fulton and McCann taking over from Frail and Goss.

Rousset and McPherson, who had been doubtful earlier in the week, were passed fit.

Red Star had only one change in their starting line-up from the Belgrade match - Boskovic coming in for Pantelic.

With both sides knowing that just one goal could be enough to win the tie, there was no frantic scurrying about in the early stages.

The players were prepared to be patient, but there was still a bite to the tackling.

Bruno had the job of marking Ognjenovic, but the first threat to Hearts came from defender Zivkovic, who galloped through the middle in 19 minutes.

Howeer, instead of laying the ball off to the unmarked Anic, he took a couple of steps too many and was closed down.

Only after that did Hearts stepped up a gear, with McCann looking dangerous down the left.

And McKay was unfortunate when he hit a 20-yard drive that was deflected over by a defender.

It took Ognjenovic 33 minutes to slip clear of Bruno, and when he did he skipped past McPherson and sent over a cross which Jovicic looked like getting to before Pointon raced back to head the ball behind his own goal.

Three minutes later Hearts almost took the lead.

Zivkovic was booked for a foul on McKay, and when McCann swung the free kick to the far post Weir rose high to send a header down towards the foot of the post.

Milojevic, however, produced a wonderful leap to save.

Then Cameron was so unlucky when he turned on a pass and sent in a fierce drive that was again deflected off a defender and over the bar in 43 minutes.

But from the corner Hearts struck and found themselves in front.

McCann took the corner and McPherson came racing in to send a header high into the net.

The Red Star 'keeper did not have a chance.

The goal stunned the visitors, but only for a moment.

They charged to the other end where Dejan Stankovich hit a drive that brought out a fine save from Rousset.

The Yugoslavs, however, were concerned enough to make a change at the interval, bringing on Vulevic for Boskovic.

But it was Hearts who almost struck again in 54 minutes, when Colquhoun brought down a corner from Cameron at the back post and shot from point-blank range only to see the keeper bring off a superb one-handed save.

Howeer, then came something Hearts had feared - Red Star grabbed an away goal in 59 minutes.

Seconds earlier Rousset and McPherson had combined to clear the ball behind for a corner.

But when Ognjenovic sent the kick to the far post, Marinovic rose to send in a header that the keeper got a hand to but could not keep out.

The scoreline meant that all Red Star had to do was hold on to qualify, and Hearts pressed forward in numbers.

However, that left room at the back and Bruno had to use desperate measures to stop an Ognjenovic run.

He was booked for that, and shortly afterwards Marinovic was also shown a yellow card.

With 13 minutes left Ognjenovic was replaced by Sakic, and almost immediately Bruno was taken off and Hearts sent on Thomas in the hope that he could put more pressure on the Red Star defence.

Hearts played their last card when they sent on Robertson for Mackay with six minutes left.

But it was all to no avail.

Although the Scots had given every effort on the night it just was not good enough.

HEARTS - Rousset, Weir, Ritchie, Mackay, McPherson, Bruno, McCann, Cameron, Colquhoun, Fulton, Pointon.

Substitutes - Frail, McManus, McKenzie, Robertson, Thomas.

RED STAR BELGRADE - Milojevic, Zivkovic, Djorovic, Njegus, P Stankovic, Marinovic, Ognjenovic, Anic, Jovicic, D Stankovic, Boskovic.

Substitutes - Jevric, Pantelic, Vanic, Vulevic, Sakic.

Referee - K Nilsson (Sweden).

Taken from the Herald