Retour
Trabzonspor earned back-to-back wins in the main stage of a UEFA competition for the first time since November 2013, defeating Heart of Midlothian 2-0 in the UEFA Conference League, making it eight losses from the Jambos’ last 10 away games in Europe (W1, D1).
A humbling 7-1 defeat to Celtic did nothing to lift spirits at Hearts, having won just one of their last five games in all competitions heading into this match (D2, L2).
The Scottish side had an early chance to take the lead when Malachi Fagan-Walcott headed onto the post from a corner delivery, but Trabzonspor soon ramped up the pressure and were rewarded just after the half-hour mark.
In an attempt to stop Franculino, Tomas Magnusson brought down the forward in the area, giving Mohamed Salah the chance to score from the spot, which he took with aplomb, slotting his 10th goal for the club straight down the middle.
Hearts had no response in the first half, but they showed signs of positive attacking intent as they searched for a way back into the contest.
Yet as the hour mark neared, Trabzonspor doubled their advantage, thanks to a neat attack where Franculino nutmegged Rogers Mato with a pass to Salah, who laid off for the striker to bend an effort beyond Beau Reus’s reach.
That moment of quality knocked the stuffing out of Hearts, with the home side looking rather comfortable in the latter stages, having given themselves breathing room with a two-goal lead.
Ultimately, a comeback never really looked on the cards, and the game drifted towards its seemingly inevitable conclusion.
As a result, it’s now five wins on the bounce for Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis, claiming maximum points after two league phase games.
By contrast, Hearts are winless in four competitive trips (D1, L3), picking up just one point from their first two games in European action this season.