Lantana Tallinn 0 Hearts 1

Lee Makel put Hearts on course for the next stage in the Cup Winners' Cup tonight.

The former Huddersfield and Blackburn midfielder grabbed the winner in this preliminary round first leg game after 21 minutes.

It was a sweet moment for Makel, who moved to Edinburgh from Yorkshire for £70,000 last season.

He robbed Oleg Kolotsei inside the penalty box and curled a spectacular shot beyond the home keeper.

Hearts had plenty of possession but failed to add to Makel's goal in front of a sparse crowd.

However, Hearts should have done enough to book their passage into the next round when the second leg is held in a fortnight.

Lantana, who have never won a match in Europe, switched the game to the national stadium in the hope of attracting a few more neutral fans.

They charged the equivalent of £1.30 to come in with free admission for children.

The home crowd saw Hearts take the game by the scruff of its neck right from the start.

Stephane Adam touched the ball wide after Jim Hamilton had headed on a cross from Neil McCann.

McCann then saw a header go just wide of the post before Makel made the breakthrough.

However, Lantana almost drew level four minutes after the break when Vitali Leitan got away from David Weir only to drag his shot wide of the post.

Hamilton knocked a good 20-yard shot wide but Hearts had become ragged and almost paid the penalty in the 29th minute when Leitan struck the post.

Adam dragged a shot into the side net before smacking another effort against the bar right on the stroke of half time.

Hearts were creating enough chances but their finishing was poor and they looked vulnerable every time Lantana broke forward.

McCann sent a shot wide and then the Lantana keeper did well to parry his cross as Hamilton waited at the back post.

Makel continued to work tirelessly and saw another shot touched over by the keeper with eight minutes to go.

Thomas Flogel should have added a second goal in the dying minutes of the game when the keeper flapped at McCann's cross but the Austrian sent his shot over the top.

However, with the away goal under their belt Hearts should surely progress at Tynecastle in a fortnight.

Teams:

FC Lantana: Ussoltsev, Krasnopgrov, Kalimullin, Kolotsei, Bahmatski, Mitjunov, Borissov, Leitan, Valuiski (Tselnokov 77), Gorjatsov (Kulikov 80), Koulitchenko.

Subs Not Used: Kiseljov, Jersoiv.

Booked: Kolotsei, Kalimullin.

Hearts: Rousset, Naysmith, Weir, Salvatori, Ritchie, McCann, Adam (Quitongo 86), Hamilton (Murray 86), Locke, Flogel, Makel.

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, McKinnon, Pressley, Murie, Holmes.

Goals: Makel 21.

Att: 1,000

Ref: M Benes (Czech Republic).




Taken from sportinglife.com