NEWS
Hearts Coach after Sturm Debacle: "I was pleased with many things"
Sturm Graz has a good starting position for the return leg. The opposing coach could still take some positives from the 0-4.
SK Sturm Graz has successfully started their European cup season. In the first leg of the 2nd qualifying round, they celebrated a 4-0 victory at home over Hearts of Midlothian. Sturm's key to success: "We devoured them" >>>
Set pieces made the crucial difference. After a long throw-in, Jon Gorenc Stankovic scored the opener (4'). Jeyland Mitchell's 2-0 came from a corner.
The Lack of Efficiency
"In my opinion, two set-piece situations broke our neck, and that's very difficult to accept because we had actually started quite well," said Hearts coach Wouter Vrancken after the match.
After the first goal conceded, the Scots had control. "We weren't efficient, and they were," lamented the visiting coach.
Hearts Coach Praises First Half
He wasn't entirely unhappy with the performance. "I was pleased with many things I saw in this game. But we can do better. We could have taken more responsibility for possession instead of just watching and reacting," said the Scottish coach.
He spoke of a "really good first half." Only the goals were missing. In the end, only one lesson remains for his team: "Efficiency is crucial at this level. If you don't kill, you will be killed."
