Dinamo Zagreb 4 Hearts 0

Aug 21 2009 Gary Ralston

Scottish football plunged to even lower depths last night as Hearts became the latest club to rewrite the record books for all the wrong reasons.

The Jambos were a shambles as they collapsed completely in Zagreb and watched their Europa League adventure come to an embarrassing end before it had even begun.

Less than a month after Aberdeen suffered the worst aggregate defeat in Europe by a Scottish side in 49 years, Csaba Laszlo's outfit equalled their most depressing ever results at this level.

This was the third time the Gorgie side have suffered 4-0 defeats after previous fiascos at PSG in 1984 and Inter Milan in 1961. It was also as bad as their first appearance in Europe, a 5-1 drubbing against Standard Liege in 1958.

Boss Laszlo urged his players in his pre-match briefing to open the door to the Europa League and say hello to a whole new ball game. Dinamo slammed it shut with four goals in the first 58 minutes - and there wasn't even a rattle back at the knocker in protest.

The Jambos were clueless, out of their depth and far, far away from their SPL comfort zone as the reputation of our domestic league took another battering after earlier capitulations from Falkirk, Motherwell and the Dons.

Even Laszlo, that jack-in-the-box boss, spent most of the second half slumped with his back against the perspex dugout, unable to comprehend, far less fix, the debacle that was unfolding in front of him.

Perverse U2 may have forced officials at the Maksimir Stadium to rip up the turf but Dinamo then tore a strip off the visitors with a humbling that renders the second leg next week absolutely and utterly meaningless.

It comes as only a perverse crumb of comfort that had Dinamo not been so wasteful in front of goal in the latter stages of the rout then this woeful drubbing would have been even worse.

The PA announcer was clearly trying to make a point pre-match on the quality of the new pitch when he blasted out Sting's FieldsofGoldandTheGreen,GreenGrassof Home by Tom Jones. However, the playing surface still looked so patchwork and bumpy he should have gone for The Wurzels signing about their brand new combine harvester.

It was a balmy 28 degrees at kick-off but a cold chill must have run down the spine of Vladimir Romanov when he saw the ref in charge was a Russian, Nikolai Ivanov.

After all, the last season Hearts were in Europe, back in 2006-07, they were ko'd from the Champions League by AEK Athens amid allegations of corruption made by Romanov against his countryman, whistlerYuri Baskakov.

That was so long ago it was BC - before Csaba - and the Hearts boss sent out a side that was clearly aimed at stifling Dinamo in the middle of the park while at the same time looking to nick a vital away strike.

There was a welcome return to the centre of defence for Marius Zaliukas, who still has three games of a domestic suspension to serve, while LeeWallace shrugged off the hip knock that kept him out of Monday night's 2-0 defeat at Dundee United.

Jose Goncalves was pushed into the left side of midfield, with David Obua given a remit to roam between midfield and in support of sole striker Christian Nade.

That was the plan but the reality was entirely different as Dinamo took the lead after only five minutes when red-hot striker Mario Mandzukic made it seven goals from eight appearances this season.

Brazilian midfielder Sammir started the move on the right with a shimmy one way and a step the other which left Goncalves flat-footed and unable to block the cross.

Keeper Marian Kello didn't look clever as he allowed the ball to loop over his head to the back post where Mandzukic outjumped the Jambos defence to nod the ball low into the net between the keeper and the post.

Even this early Hearts were holding on for dear life, shock etched on their faces like a passenger denied the chance to buckle before setting off on a bone-shaking ride on a rollercoaster.

They had promised to keep it compact but gaping holes appeared between defence, midfield and attack which Dinamo were only too happy to fill.

Too many Hearts players were out of their depth - Nade was immobile, failing to offer any relief out wide for his under-siege defenders. Goncalves and Suso tried to hide out on the touchlines while Obua offered little defensively and even less in attack. Kello redeemed himself slightly when he leapt to his left to touch a header by Dimitrios Papadopoulos round a post following a cross from the left by full-back Carlos.

The respite was brief as Mandzukic leapt completely unmarked from the resulting corner but nodded the ball straight at Kello.

Not even the enforced substitution of injured full-back Etto knocked Dinamo from their stride and Pedro Morales rattled the bar with an outrageous, curling strike from 30 yards that had Kello beaten.

Snatched The only surprise with 30 minutes gone was that Dinamo were not further in front although it was not without the best efforts of Morales, who forced another save from Kello with a free-kick from distance.

However, Dinamo snatched the second in 35 minutes when Kello could only palm a shot from Mandzukic into the path of Papadopolous, who poked the ball into the net and celebrated another goal against Scottish opposition, two years after his strike for Panathinaikos against Aberdeen in the UEFA Cup.

Zaliukas ran desperately to Laszlo on the touchline, pleading anxiously for his coaching intervention - a conversation that continued as they trudged off the pitch at half-time. To add to Jambo woes they were forced into a reshuffle during the interval when Ismael Bouzid, who has been carrying a shoulder injury, failed to trap for the second half.

Goncalves stepped back into the centre of defence, Obua moved out left and Ian Black was pitched into central midfield for his Euro debut.

Still, it was Dinamo who continued to press and Morales had another shot from the edge of the box saved by Kello.

At long last, Hearts strung more than three passes together and Suso burst forward after a sweeping move and fired a shotTomislav Butina pushed round a post.

However, that only angered Dinamo still further as they burst forward in 55 minutes and added a third as IvicaVrdoljak stepped in from the left and curled an unstoppable strike over Kello from 25 yards.

Sadly, it would only get worse for the Jambos as Dinamo added a fourth only three minutes later - and after the Croats had squandered another couple of gilt-edged opportunities.

Papadopoulos and Mandzukic were wasteful for once before former Liverpool star Igor Biscan rose unchallenged to nod Morales' corner home with appalling ease.

Taken from the Daily Record