Hearts 3 IBV 0 (agg 5-0)

By Ian Rodgers, PA Sport

Goals from Gary McSwegan, Robert Tomaschek and Kris O'Neil secured the Jambos' safe passage to the next round - and with luck a tougher assignment.

Former England striker Alan Shearer once famously remarked that there were no easy games in football apart from Ipswich at home before crashing out of the FA Cup to the same team with Blackburn.

Clearly the Newcastle forward had never seen IBV play away from Reykjavik. Hearts did not even have to leave the dressing room in a game which would be overshadowed by testimonials in the minds of the sparsely populated Tynecastle.

Hearts were already through when McSwegan struck home after just six minutes of the game.

O'Neil put a ball across from the left hand edge of the area and the unmarked striker could not believe his good fortune when he headed home unmarked.

The goal was as simple as IBV's defence whose tactical nous had clearly remained north of the Hebrides.

McSwegan came close to a second in the 12th minute but failed to connect with Juanjo's low cross following another great ball by Locke down the flank.

It was only a matter of time before the Jambos would add a second and, sure enough, Tomaschek obliged with a blistering drive from the edge of the box after the IBV defence had failed to clear Scott Severin's drive.

The depleted Tynecastle crowd were left wondering whose testimonial would benefit from the game as the Jambos strolled around the pitch.

But, to his credit, O'Neil did offer the Icelanders some salvation with two missed chances.

And Antti Niemi was finally forced into some action when he comfortably saved an Ingi Sigurdsson.

But O'Neil finally got his reward for an industrious first half when he curled Tomaschek's ball around Kristinsson for Hearts' third.

But while the first half had been one-sided, the second was merely one dimensional.

Ennui crept into both the crowd and the Hearts players with little to test themselves against.

But there was brief enlightenment when Fulton hit a superb crossfield ball to Juanjo on the right flank.

The winger stung Kristinsson's hands with his drive but the resultant rebound was headed wide by half time substitute Thomas Flogel.

Fulton was again the architect of the exciting moments in the second period with a lung-bursting run through the middle.

But, after finding substitute Andy Kirk on the edge of the area, the young Northern Irishman fell over his feet and the chance was gone.

The pace of the game had now become less than slow as the tie petered out to a dead stop.

But there was some action for both sets of fans in the 83rd minute when Severin misjudged the ball completely.

IBV forward Steingrimur Johanesson was left clean through on Niemi but miskicked and, with his studs left in the ground, fell to the floor clutching his ankle before hobbling from the field.

It is not funny to laugh at such misfortune but it was the only noteworthy point of a dismal second period.

Hearts: Niemi, Pressley, Naysmith, Locke (Murray 60), Severin, Tomaschek (Flogel 45), Juanjo, Fulton, McSwegan (Kirk 64),Makel, O'Neil.

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, James, Cameron, Simpson.

Goals: McSwegan 6, Tomaschek 19, O'Neil 39.

IBV Vestmannyjar: Kristinsson, P. Gudmundsson, Aleksic, Stefansson, I. Sigurdsson (Moller 69), Bragason, Johanesson, M. Sigurdsson (Johansson 80), Jonsson, Mileta (Vidarsson 69),Almarsson.

Subs Not Used: K. Gudmundsson, Olafsson, Egilsson, Thorvaldsson.

Booked: M. Sigurdsson.

Agg (5-0)

Att: 8,720

Ref: A Costa. (Portugal).


Taken from sportinglife.com