Hearts defy Siroki onslaught for date with Athens

Ronnie Esplin at the Pecara Stadium
Thursday August 3, 2006
The Guardian

Hearts will take on AEK Athens in the final qualifying round next Wednesday after surviving a testing evening against the Bosnian champions in Mostar. Hearts had their goalkeeper Craig Gordon to thank for the goalless draw, the Scotland international making two fine saves from Mislav Karoglan in the first half.

Hearts' head coach Valdas Ivanauskas made two changes to the team that beat Siroki Brijeg 3-0 a week ago in the first- round first leg at Murrayfield. Julien Brellier returned to the midfield at the expense of the defender Ibrahim Tall, who had played as a makeshift midfielder during the first leg, and the striker Michal Pospisil replaced Edgaras Jankauskas.

The home side asserted themselves in the first half and Gordon had to punch away, diving to his left to stop a powerful free-kick from distance by the Siroki striker. The match - if not the tie - was finely balanced but Hearts were careful not to commit too many forward in their build-up. On the half-hour mark their defender Christophe Berra scythed down Karoglan at the edge of the penalty area but Wagner's free-kick rebounded off the Tynecastle wall.

Just before the interval the home side created their best chance when the defender Branimir Anic skipped past Takis Fyssas on the right and cut the ball back to Ronielle, only 14 yards from goal. But the Siroki player missed his kick before Josip Papic fired high over the bar from just outside the penalty area. Siroki began the second half in the ascendancy, forcing Hearts back towards Gordon, but the Scottish team showed no sign of conceding the opening goal.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer