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Salah scores and assists as Trabzonspor beat depleted Hearts
Salah coolly dinks the home side into the lead from the penalty spot
Image caption, Salah coolly dinked the home side into the lead from the penalty spot

At a glance

  • Injury-stricken Hearts start striker Rogers Mato at left back up against Mohamed Salah

  • Salah chips in composed first-half penalty as hosts make dominance count

  • Franculino Dju doubles lead with curling attempt, assisted by Salah

  • Trabzonspor have Sidny Lopes Cabral red carded late on

Jack Herrall

BBC Sport Scotland

Mohamed Salah scored one and set up the other as Trabzonspor proved too strong for Hearts in the Conference League.

The Liverpool legend dinked in a first-half penalty before teeing up Franculino Dju to fire in a magnificent second after the interval in an efficient display from the Turkish side.

Hearts, depleted by numerous injuries to key first-team players, were lost full-back Harry Milne in training on the eve of this game and lined up with attacker Rogers Mato as their left-back.

And defender Christian Borchgrevink was forced off through injury on the stroke of half time as head coach Wouter Vrancken's squad was further diminished.

Off the back of their 7-1 Scottish Premiership humbling by Celtic on Sunday, Hearts were under pressure to respond and should have taken an early lead when Malachi Fagan-Walcott hit a post with a free header.

However, Trabzonspor grew into the game and after two initial penalty claims were denied - the first for a close offside in the build-up - Salah stepped forward to slot his spot-kick down the middle of Beau Reus' goal.

Franculino, who won the penalty when he was felled by Tomas Magnusson, curled into the far corner to double the lead after a well-weighted one-two with Salah.

The whipped strike, coming just shy of the hour, put paid to any faint Hearts hopes of a comeback as they remain winless in the competition.

Josh McPake flashed wide as the game petered out, and the hosts' Sidny Lopes Cabral was shown a second yellow card for being a touch late on Sabah Kerjota.

Hearts remained diligent in their pressing and application, showing resilience and signs of a fightback from their chastening weekend.

More to follow.

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