Hearts 1-2 PAOK Salonika: Andrija Zivkovic scores late stunner in Europa Conference League participate in-off, leaving Frankie McAvoy’s facet with a mountain to climb in the 2nd leg

The conclusion to this persuasive contest will be played out at PAOK’s notoriously hostile Toumba Stadium subsequent Thursday night.

But at a floor ominously named following a hillside grave, Hearts confront an almighty job if they are to confirm their Europa Convention League group stage desires are not presently useless and buried soon after this enormous to start with leg setback.

On a deeply aggravating European night time in Gorgie, the Tynecastle side experienced proved additional than a match for their Greek opponents.

Even so, despite staying the much better side for extended spells, Hearts could get neither a direct nor parity above to Thessaloniki.

Right after Lawrence Shankland had supplied Hearts a fine start off from the place, Stefan Schwab experienced quickly levelled with a classy penalty of his possess.

Andrija Zivkovic’s next 50 % lengthy-vary stunner settled this restricted tie 2-1 in PAOK’s favour.

But how Hearts have been left to rue a hurry of blood to the head from Kye Rowles, who gifted the Greek Tremendous League facet a penalty, although the narrowest of margins at 1-1 saw Shankland strike the web, only for his energy to be correctly dominated offside.

Later on, Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy cut a defiant figure, insisting his aspect can go to Greece and get a famous victory.

But he understands they want to understand how to deal with the massive times in massive matches far better than they did at house to PAOK.

‘We know what we’ve received to do now — we have bought to go there and get the recreation and I think which is probable,’ insisted McAvoy.

‘In terms of my emotions, I am upset with the consequence but I felt our shape with no the ball was definitely great and there have been some pleasing moments.

‘What was disappointing was that we scored, PAOK bought a penalty so quickly immediately after that.

‘Then we hit the web through Shanks and it was elation rapidly adopted by a sour observe when it was chopped off and they scored immediately after a corner.

‘It’s about keeping your composure and remaining switched on at each chance. The objectives are disappointing but we knew they are a fantastic workforce. We knew it was likely to be a tricky recreation and a restricted affair.

‘But I considered when we acquired into very good areas we brought about issues and established odds.

‘Our huge players could result in them issues in the second leg. We just need to make guaranteed we’re organized as most effective we can for the 2nd leg.’

The atmosphere at Tynecastle as Hearts came from powering to defeat Rosenborg 4-3 on aggregate in the last round had to be witnessed to be believed.

McAvoy experienced called for a repeat as properly as a quickly start out by his aspect against the Greeks and he duly bought each.

With just nine minutes on the clock, Tynecastle erupted as Costa Rican striker Kenneth Vargas was clipped as he ran into the PAOK box.

Referee Andris Treimanis was at first not persuaded it was a penalty but decided it was just after VAR urged him to go more than to the monitor to get a further look.

Shankland picked up the ball and when that occurs there tends to be only a single outcome.

Sure enough, the Hearts striker was coolness personified as he blasted the ball into the bottom left corner of the web.

It was a aspiration start but disaster struck virtually quickly when Zivkovic burst cost-free in the Hearts box and he was needlessly taken down by Rowles.

It was a rash choice by the Australia international and a stonewall penalty.

PAOK captain Schwab designed his penalty glimpse effortless, sending the ball to the appropriate corner and goalkeeper Zander Clark diving the other way.

With scarcely 15 minutes long gone, what a game we had on our fingers and it continued to be a cracking contest that raced together at breakneck velocity.

A sideshow in just the recreation was the mismatch in measurement in midfield amongst the diminutive Cammy Devlin and the large Schwab.

With Australia worldwide Devlin it’s all about the measurement of the battle in the dog and not the dimension of the pet dog in the combat. Suffice to say, Devlin had no trouble standing up to the PAOK captain’s physicality.

Hearts followers thought their facet had taken the guide when Shankland rose to bullet header a Stephen Kingsley cross. But Dominik Kotarski pulled off a fantastic save ahead of the ball ultimately fell to Boyce. With the Northern Irishman searching established to rating, Rafa Soares acquired into the best posture to make a very important block.

The 50 % time whistle allowed time to pause for breath but it was shortly again to the frantic action with tempers now starting off to fray.

But Hearts admirers ended up in raptures when Boyle picked the ball up at the edge of the box and cleverly fed Shankland.

The Scotland striker curled a wonderful finish superior into the PAOK web. But the pleasure was short-lived when VAR showed that Shankland experienced been in an offside situation when he gained the ball.

And gloom quickly descended on Tynecastle when Zivkovic’s lengthy array strike ripped previous Hearts keeper Clark.

The pacy Serbia worldwide experienced served notice of his danger by scoring doubles in his final two video games against Croatian facet Hajduk Break up in the prior spherical and in opposition to Asteras Tripolis in the Greek Super League.

Zivkovic was a course act below and even with eight minutes of injury time, Hearts could not locate a leveller to make their undertaking in the secnod leg a little much less onerous.

It is not very all around nonetheless. But Hearts will want a big effectiveness next Thursday if they are to maintain their European dreams alive in Toumba Stadium.