Dinamo Zagreb 4 Hearts 0

David McDaid

Hearts' Europa League hopes are all but over after a thumping away defeat by a slick Dinamo Zagreb side in the first leg of their play-off tie.

Mario Mandzukic headed the opener within five minutes, with Dimitrios Papadopoulos tapping in number two before half-time, as Dinamo dominated.

Suso Santana hit Hearts' only shot of the game early in the second half.

Ivica Vrdoljak then added a fine third, and Igor Biscan scored a header to sink the Scots with just an hour played.

The result makes the return leg next week at Tynecastle almost a mere formality.

It also further adds to a poor summer record for Scottish clubs in European competition, with Falkirk, Aberdeen and Motherwell all out before their domestic season even began.

However, few could deny that the Croatian champions - knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Red Bull Salzburg - were well worth their victory.

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo set out a cautious line-up against a team who had scored 21 goals in four Croatian league matches.

Laszlo admits to gulf in quality

Christian Nade cut a lonely figure up front as the Edinburgh side allowed Dinamo to play the ball about in front of them.

But the approach was quickly undone as, with less than five minutes on the clock, Hearts found themselves behind.

Dinamo's Brazilian midfielder Sammir turned Jose Goncalves in the left-back area with a shimmy of the hips before sending a deep cross to the back post.

Hearts goalkeeper Marian Kello was caught underneath the ball and Mandzukic rose to head in from a couple of yards.

The goal spurred the home side on to dominate with some neat passing exchanges, and it was only when Dinamo were forced into an early change on 20 minutes that the Hearts players could get some relief and take on fluids in the hot and humid conditions.
Dinamo Zagreb forward Mario Mandzukic
Mandzukic opened the scoring within five minutes

But the respite was brief, and Kello saved headers from Mandzukic and Papadopoulos before, rooted to the spot, he watched Perdo Morales' long-range strike batter the bar on the way over.

With Hearts struggling to get on the ball and make any impact, Greek striker Papadopoulos doubled the Croatian side's advantage 10 minutes before half-time, side-footing into the empty net after Kello had parried Sammir's shot.

Five minutes into the second period Suso made Dinamo keeper Tomislav Butina save from a low drive after good work from substitute Ian Black.

Hearts had the newly-laid pitch to thank for not going further behind, when Mandzukic slipped as he pulled the trigger inside the box.

But shortly afterwards it was 3-0, when a lightning Dinamo break up-field culminated in Vrdoljak side-stepping Eggert Jonsson to curl a right-footed effort inside the post from 18 yards.

Then, with just an hour gone, former Liverpool defender Biscan rose free at a corner to head the fourth from a corner.

The scoreline could have been even heavier had it not been for Kello who made a number of additional saves.

Taken from the BBC