Hearts 3-0 Siroki Brijeg

Branimir Anic headed in off the post under pressure from Steven Pressley following a Robbie Neilson long throw in the second qualifying round tie.

Tall fired in from four yards after a low Michal Pospisil cross.

And Bednar pounced on a poor back-pass to slot home and give the Bosnians an uphill battle in the second leg.

Midfielder Julien Brellier had only been deemed fit enough to make Hearts' bench, while Paul Hartley, Jose Goncalves, Calum Elliot and Lee Wallace were all missing.

So defender Tall was given a surprise holding role in midfield at Murrayfield.

And Scotland winger Neil McCann made his return to the starting line-up after six months out through injury.

Siroki's first-choice goalkeeper, Vladimir Vasilj, was only fit enough to be named on the bench for the side that defeated Belarus outfit Shaktyar Soligorsk 2-0 on aggregate in the previous round.

Hearts started brightly, McCann's inswinging cross from the left being knocked over the bar by midfielder Bruno Aguiar from 10 yards.

There was a nervous moment for McCann when the ball ricocheted off his arm inside the box after a corner, but no penalty was given by Norwegian referee Espen Berntsen.

Deividas Cesnauskis' cross from the right was met at the front post by Bednar, but the striker's head flick flew wide of the far post.

McCann ought to have done better than head past the post after another curling Cesnauskis cross to the back post.

But the Bosnians worked their way into the game and Brazilian midfielder Wagner Santos Lago sent a curling free kick a few feet wide from 20 yards with goalkeeper Craig Gordon struggling.

Hearts stepped up the pace after the break and a last-ditch challenge from Anic diverted Bednar's attempt from eight yards wide for a corner.

But Anic was at fault when he headed Neilson's long-throw into his own net under pressure from Pressley.

Cesnauskis drove the ball just wide from 16 yards after a mazy run past three defenders and Aguiar rattled a fine, curling free-kick against the upright.

But Tall added the second after a rare surge into the box and Bednar made the most of Ivica Landeka's mistake to give Hearts what should be a winning cushion.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, Pressley, Berra, Petras, Cesnauskis, Aguiar (Brellier 89), Tall, McCann (Mikoliunas 55), Bednar, Jankauskas (Pospisil 55).
Subs Not Used: Banks, Mole, Neill, Driver.

Goals: Anic 53 og, Tall 79, Bednar 84.

Siroki Brijeg: Basic, Anic, Silic, Boris Pandza, Ivica Landeka, Lago, Carvalho (Papic 90), Gomes, Bubalo (Doci 59), Celson, Karoglan (Kovacic 84).
Subs Not Used: Vasilj, Lukacevic, Studenovic, Dzidic.

Booked: Gomes, Boris Pandza, Celson.

Att: 28,486

Ref: Espen Berntsen (Norway)

Taken from the BBC