Stalemate just the job for Hearts

Siroki Brijeg 0
Hearts 0
(Hearts win 3-0 on aggregate)

THIS trip was essentially all about prevailing for Hearts, a priceless ability in European football as Rafa Benitez and Liverpool proved on their run to winning the continent's grandest prize just over a year ago.

Not quite as priceless as the Hearts kit might have been to one daring Siroki Brijeg inhabitant last night but more of that later.

For now, all that matters is that Edinburgh's Champions League representatives still exist as a force in this season's tournament. An added bonus is that they seem to be evolving as experts in executing the necessary tasks set them.

The Tynecastle staff travelled to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday aware that a sensible and prudent performance would take them into the final qualifying rounds against AEK Athens and today that's exactly where they stand after a quite outstanding goalkeeping performance from Craig Gordon.

The squad had spent yesterday morning gazing round an equal mix of bullet-punctured and eye-catching tourist sights in nearby Mostar - the most bombed town during the 1992-1995 conflict here - and arrived at the moderately impressive Pecara Stadium conscious that their 3-0 first-leg advantage should not be shot down in the searing Herzegovinan heat.

Watching Muslim and Croat locals voluntarily jumping off the famous white bridge to plunge over 20 metres into the River Neretva for 25 Euros a time would have forced home a timely reminder that sinking at this stage of the qualifiers would leave no opportunity for rescue. A consoling place in the UEFA Cup is, of course, only provided for those who fall at the final qualifying jump later this month.

So, with AEK assistant coach Pep Alomar watching closely from the stands, it was crucial for Valdas Ivanauskas and his players to illustrate a picture of conviction. Their awareness and swiftness of foot was tested well before kick-off, however.

As fitness coach Tom Ritchie was unloading the Hearts kit from the team coach, a cheeky local grabbed what he could and attempted to make off with some unique goods that would have fetched a premium price at any local market.

Ritchie, to his credit, soon displayed that he has lost none of the athleticism which distinguished him in his previous career, when he represented Scotland at schoolboy, junior and senior level as an 800-metre runner. He was instantly off down the street in pursuit of the Bosnian assailant, who, according to witnesses, stood little chance of escape once Ritchie was in full flight, and soon the club equipment was back in the hands of an evermore valued Tynecastle employee.

Majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov jetted in for the occasion and engaged in the peculiar pre-match act of measuring out the pitch, which he discovered to be 76 yards wide, before taking his seat in the VIP area. Perhaps he was unconvinced about the merits of hosting Champions League football at such a humble venue.

Hearts' operations director Campbell Ogilvie was ready to apply to UEFA for special dispensation in May in an attempt to host his club's home Champions League qualifiers at Tynecastle but this idea was rendered academic when it was decided that greater remuneration could be gained from playing at Murrayfield.

Romanov may have noted the extraordinarily long grass as he scoped the pitch, an issue which was mentioned by Ivanauskas during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening. It was expected that Siroki Brijeg's groundsman would whip out the Flymo at some point between Hearts' training session and kick-off but that was not to be. With the ball likely to hold up slightly in the long turf, legs would be required to pump that little bit harder on a night when bodily fluid was shed readily without any exertion.

Hearts started with intent, clearly hoping to make their night's work less strenuous by opening the scoring and taking an aggregate result beyond their opponents.

Roman Bednar, an unusual set-piece taker, struck a powerful free-kick through the home wall on six minutes after Deividas Cesnauskas had been downed by Ivica Landeka. The Czech's shot was initially spilled by Vladimir Vasilj but the Bosnian gathered at the second attempt.

The ball was in the home net only two minutes later when Neil McCann's corner was bizarrely palmed in by Vasilj from four yards but 30-year-old referee Viktor Kassai halted the play for an alleged foul by Christophe Berra as the goalkeeper was in the act of jumping.

Mislav Karoglan sprinted clear of Brellier in midfield, attacking the heart of Steven Pressley's defence before unleashing a dipping drive which Craig Gordon was at full stretch to turn behind. The effort brought confidence to the hosts and they began to probe Hearts and force them to retreat. Karoglan again tried for goal from a free-kick after 22 minutes but, diving to his left, Gordon fisted clear.

As at Murrayfield last week, the "Skripari" were in full voice throughout the match in a 10,000 capacity stadium that was nearing its full quota. Around 300 Hearts fans were fenced in at the opposite corner from the tunnel and made themselves heard at various junctures during the evening, aided by a portion of Velez Mostar supporters who had made the journey to lend their voices to the Scottish club against their derby rivals.

Half-time was imminent and the locals were becoming a touch agitated, recognising that their side required to score before serious inroads could be made towards eroding Hearts' three-goal advantage. Marko Kovacic skipped past Takis Fyssas on the Siroki right and pulled the ball back from the byline to the penalty spot but Josip Papic sent his shot about a yard over Gordon's bar after Ronielle Gomes had kicked fresh air.

Eight minutes after the interval, Wagner took a pass and turned inside the Hearts penalty area to slip the ball through Berra's legs and square for the Brazilian Celson. His effort was travelling but was again repelled by the outstanding Gordon. Siroki now smelled blood and appeared like a pack of hungry hounds in seeking it out. Hearts, by contrast, seemed a little jolted and taken aback by the new-found ferocity of their hosts and there were deafening howls for a penalty when Celson went down when tussling with Berra for a loping through ball.

The storm was weathered from a Scottish point of view until Siroki Brijeg substitute Hrvoje Erceg ventured forward in the 77th minute to cut inside and lash the ball low towards the right corner of Gordon's net. The Scotland goalkeeper was, again, up to the task as he flew down to tip wide for a corner, punching the resultant kick clear.

Before the end there was an unwelcome reception for Mirsad Beslija when he emerged from the visitors' bench to replace Cesnauskis but that could be put down more to the frustration of the home support rather than any genuine dislike for the sole Bosnian in the Hearts squad.

The match closed out in relatively uneventful fashion but with mission accomplished that suited Hearts no end. They had offered precious little threat of their own but the business end of this tie had been conducted in Edinburgh last week. Now it's on to Celtic on Sunday but everyone connected with Tynecastle will be acutely aware of AEK Athens looming on the horizon.

The test offered by in Greece will be sterner than the one in Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the necessary can be done again, we might just see the European good times start to roll for Hearts.

Taken from the Scotsman