Slick Sparta leave Ivanauskas facing another exit

Ewan Murray at Murrayfield
Friday September 15, 2006
The Guardian

Heart of Midlothian's foray into European competition, which began in the qualifying stages of the Champions League, appears destined to be little more than a fleeting visit after Sparta Prague left Edinburgh with a well merited two-goal lead from this first leg.

Goals in either half from Daniel Kolar and the substitute Miroslav Matusovic appear to have finished this tie as a contest, with Hearts needing to score three in the Czech Republic in a fortnight's time to progress. It is, on this evidence, an impossible dream.

Hearts' owner, Vladimir Romanov, has used several unorthodox excuses in recent months to explain his team's poor displays. However, surely even the Lithuanian tycoon could accept the harsh reality

here that Sparta were by far the more accomplished side.

"We just didn't perform," conceded the Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon. "We had a weakened side, but this is still a massive disappointment. I'm sure a few folk will have a go at us but we have put ourselves there to be shot at."

After a pre-match deluge of rain that left many sections of the pitch under water, the early stages resembled a farce as both sides struggled with the conditions. Injury and suspension played a major part in the home side's line-up and the teenagers Lee Wallace and Jamie Mole started. Whether it was nervousness on the part of both sides or simply the treacherous surface, chances were at a premium during a dour opening half, making it difficult to imagine that only 12 months ago Hearts sat at the top of the Scottish Premierleague.

Kolar's strike, which arrived 11 minutes before the interval in spectacular style from 18 yards, merely served to make such memories even more distant for the home support. Hearts toiled to make any impact on a visiting rearguard that was superbly marshalled by the former West Ham player Tomas Repka and their attacking options were further blunted by the bizarre withdrawal of an enraged Mauricio Pinilla shortly before Matusovic finished brilliantly from 25 yards.

The Hearts manager Valdas Ivanauskas refused to discuss the implications of this result for his position. He said: "My future is for other people to discuss. I will be back at training tomorrow." Yet Romanov does not accept failure lightly, as three managers have already discovered. There may well be further turmoil ahead.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer