Hearts 0 - 2 Sparta Prague

ANY hopes Hearts had of making the UEFA Cup group stages lay in tatters last night after a miserable night at a rain-sodden Murrayfield.

A sweet strike by Daniel Kolar and a long-range effort from the substitute Miroslav Matusovic gave Sparta Prague what should turn out to be an unassailable lead.
Only goalkeeping heroics from Craig Gordon, which included a superb double save, kept the score down.
Although both sets of players struggled to keep their feet in dreadful conditions there was no excuse for Hearts' insipid performance.

They struggled in all areas of the park and barring a miracle can only look forward to competing for domestic trophies this season. It was a hugely disappointing evening for the Edinburgh club when nothing went right, on or off the pitch.
Smoke from an on-field fireworks display engulfed the pitch and delayed kick-off for a few minutes. Then an artist commissioned by Hearts to paint a picture of the match took up residence near the halfway line with his easel as the heavy rain really did turn his painting into a watercolour.

He would not have painted a pretty picture as the team from the Czech Republic made the better of the soft conditions to take a vital away win.
Only the most eternal optimist will give Hearts a chance of turning the tables in Prague and going out of the UEFA Cup will once again put a huge question mark over the future of Valdas Ivanauskas.

Once again he was out thought tactically by the opposition manager and appears to lack the necessary charisma and zest to inspire his team at times of adversity.
Even the Hearts manager's substitutions were booed, particularly when he took off his Chilean striker, Mauricio Pinella, midway through the second-half when the home side were chasing the game and only one goal down.

Hearts simply failed to get to grips with an ordinary Sparta Prague outfit who were technically more efficient. One of the few success stories was Mirsad Beslija, the Bosnian winger, who worked hard to support Paul Hartley in midfield.

Bizarrely, he too was substituted, to yet another chorus of boos from the Hearts supporters.
Scottish football has a negative reputation for having tall target men but in rainy conditions such as last night the Sparta front man, Libor Dosek, was a godsend for the visitors.
Looking like a poor man's Peter Crouch, the lanky striker gave Christophe Berra a torrid evening. Craig Gordon pulled off a couple of good saves from him and also tipped over a shot from Karol Kisel.

However, the Hearts goalkeeper had no chance with the shot from Kolar that beat him at his top corner or the effort from Matusovic. Because of the rain it was a night for back- to-front football but Roman Bednar, playing against his boyhood heroes, struggled to hold the ball up.
Sparta had the better of the first half and merited their half-time lead. However, Hearts started the second half much better and, as the rain eased, their chances improved.
Like all good European teams, Sparta were quick on the break with most of their attacks coming down the right side where Lee Wallace, in for the more experienced Takis Fyssas, struggled against Kisel.
It was easy to forget that the Czech outfit had recently sacked their manager as they looked a far more cohesive unit than Hearts on an evening to forget for the Edinburgh club who, on this evidence, have little chance in the second leg.

For a team who had such lofty European ambitions not even making the group stages of the UEFA Cup will be hard to take. The Hearts' owner Vladimir Romanov has a short fuse and it is unlikely he will accept such a wretched defeat.

Changes are definitely on the cards and Ivanauskas, despite his post-match prostestations will be sweating on his future. Only Gordon, Steven Pressley, Beslija and Hartley played anywhere near their best and the question has to be asked why a club with such potential now threatens to implode.

Their evening was summed up near the end when substitute Deividas Cesnauskis blasted the ball over when it looked easier to score. At the end, the only man who seemed to have enjoyed the evening was the artist who had painted the game from the sidelines. He had a smile on his face but he was one of the few.

Taken from the Herald