Sp Prague 0-0 Hearts (agg: 2-0)

An impressive defensive display could not prevent Hearts being eliminated from the Uefa Cup by Sparta Prague.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg at Tynecastle, the Edinburgh side kept Sparta at bay in the first half.

Paul Hartley cleared a header off the line after six minutes as the home side chased an early lead in the second leg.

Simak went close with a crisp drive after 11 minutes before Daniel Kolar hit the bar. Hearts striker Jamie Mole spurned two glorious chances.

Hearts skipper Steven Pressley equalled Gorgie goalkeeping legend Henry Smith's record of 22 appearances in Europe for the club.

And he typified the Edinburgh side's dogged spirit as he played most of the game with a bandaged head following a knock.

Sparta set out their attacking intentions early on and Gordon beat away a fiercely-struck free-kick after 23 minutes.

On the half-hour mark Sparta midfielder Tomas Sivok missed a great chance to make the tie safe when, unmarked at the back post, he managed to head wide an in swinging corner from Simat.

Five minutes later Mole had half a chance when Prague keeper Jaromir Blazek made a mess of a simple catch, but the teenager failed to look up and crossed the ball aimlessly into the middle of the penalty area.

Cesnauskas had an excellent chance to score after 39 minutes but sent the ball high over the bar from 16 yards.

Mole wasted Hearts' best chance of the match three minutes after the break when his shot was saved from just inside the 18-yard box.

Sparta took the sting out of the game as Hearts failed to get the goals they needed to take the game into extra time.

Sparta Prague: Blazek, Pospech, Repka, Homola, Kadlec, Kisel, Ludovic, Sivok, Kolar (Jun 86), Simak (Matusovic 64), Dosek (Lustrinelli 74). Subs Not Used: Grigar, Hasek, Drobny, Zabavnik.

Booked: Dosek, Repka.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson (Tall 66), Pressley, Berra, Wallace, Mikoliunas, Brellier, Hartley, Cesnauskis, Mole (Bednar 56), Pinilla (Aguiar 83). Subs Not Used: Banks, Beslija, Makela, Lithgow.

Booked: Brellier.

Att: 16,505

Ref: Peter Sippel (Germany)

Taken from the BBC