Europa League prospects are all but extinguished for Hearts following a crushing 6-1 defeat against Benfica in Lisbon. The Tynecastle side aimed to avoid the Estadio da Luz becoming the Estadio da lose, but they simply could not cope with the pace and tempo of the Portuguese. Benfica take a substantial lead to Edinburgh for next weekâs return leg knowing they are in complete command of the third qualifying round tie.
The closing stages of this first leg briefly offered some encouragement for Hearts as Tom Renaud claimed a goal, but the final scoreline is their joint-highest European loss in a single game. Goals from Rafa Silva, Tomas Araujo, a Vangelis Pavlidis penalty, and Gianluca Prestianni had put Benfica 4-0 ahead. The final quarter of the game was Heartsâ best, including Renaudâs strike to make it 4-1 and some decent periods of possession, but substitutes Jhon Duran and Andreas Schjelderup scored late on to effectively put the tie beyond the Gorgie side. Overall, goalkeeper Beau Reus was probably their best player on a difficult night.
The visitors got forward only occasionally with Benfica monopolising possession and showing their craft at picking holes in the opposition back line. Reus made several impressive stops in both halves and showed himself to be a shrewd acquisition. Team-mates in front of him chased shadows for much of the night. Prestianni and Georgiy Sudakov were the orchestrators of this encounter with intricate passing and sharp movement.
With so much stacked against them ahead of kick-off, it would have been understandable if Hearts arrived in Lisbon with an air of trepidation. Benfica are among the favourites to win the Europa League outright and 60,776 fans - mostly Benfiquistas - were in attendance to see the anticipated next step on that journey. The Scottish side wanted simply to do themselves justice, backed by around 1,300 travelling fans.
Benficaâs famous bald eagle, Ăguia VitĂłria, made its customary pre-match flight around the ground. Hearts fans were significantly outnumbered here. Some had spent the afternoon in Lisbonâs Praca do Comercio square, where temperatures exceeded 30 degrees, perhaps hoping simply to see their team avoid a skelping. This was always a daunting one to avoid four defeats in a row for head coach Wouter Vrancken, particularly when Benfica scored inside three minutes. Leandro Barreiroâs low cutback was swept home comfortably by the unmarked Silva and the Lisbon locals roared their approval. Barreiro forced Reus into a fine low save moments later, and the Dutchman then beat away another effort from Prestianni.
Benficaâs midfield runners were causing Hearts trouble as they swarmed in and around the penalty box. They were simply too quick and slick for their direct opponents. Full-backs Alexander Bah on the right and Samuel Dahl on the left also constantly advanced to create overloads on the flanks. Sudakov tucked in off the right side to roam around and cause more havoc in the final third.
Reus tipped Barreiroâs 22nd-minute header over the crossbar following defender Clement Lengletâs lofted forward ball. From the resultant corner, captain Araujo headed the hosts 2-0 in front. Reus got a hand to the ball but could not prevent it crossing the line. It was the fourth goal Hearts have conceded from a set-play in this seasonâs four competitive games.
Laurent Mendy showed good composure on the ball to feed Calvin Miller for an attacking run on 32 minutes. Miller scampered forward and was fouled by Prestianni. Spittal delivered the resultant free-kick, which Mendy headed powerfully against the crossbar with Benfica goalkeeper Samuel Soares beaten. Hearts were giving a better account of themselves, but the tendency to self-destruct returned five minutes before the interval. Mendy pulled Barreiro inside the area as he darted towards Sudakovâs backheel, and Romanian referee Marian Barbu instantly pointed to the penalty spot. Pavlidis converted calmly.
Pavlidis was denied a second goal for offside before half-time. At 3-0, this was now a case of damage limitation for Hearts. Vrancken needed to shore up his midfield with both Spittal and Mendy exposed. Claudio Braga looked lost in the No.10 position. The manager introduced centre-back Jamie McCart and midfielder Tom Renaud for captain Harry Milne and Mendy respectively. Miller and Alexandros Kyziridis switched flanks.
Jordi Altenaâs shot early in the second half didnât trouble Soares but was at least an effort on target for the visitors. They fell 4-0 behind on 59 minutes after Renaudâs pass on the edge of his own penalty area was intercepted by Prestianni. He wasted no time angling an emphatic finish high past Reus. The tie looked over at that point but, on 72 minutes, Hearts constructed an excellent goal to give themselves a lifeline. Kyziridis, sub Sabri Guendouz - one of the teamâs positives - and Spittal all combined for Guendouz to slip a pass to Renaud. From an acute angle on the right of the penalty area, the Frenchman fired a crisp finish into the corner of the net.
âCan you hear Benfica sing?â was the sarcastic chant from the away end. Another Renaud shot rose over the crossbar before substitute Schjelderup set up Duran for Benficaâs fifth. Schjelderup then claimed the sixth from the penalty spot after Oisin McEntee was penalised for handball.
The closing stages of this first leg briefly offered some encouragement for Hearts as Tom Renaud claimed a goal, but the final scoreline is their joint-highest European loss in a single game. Goals from Rafa Silva, Tomas Araujo, a Vangelis Pavlidis penalty, and Gianluca Prestianni had put Benfica 4-0 ahead. The final quarter of the game was Heartsâ best, including Renaudâs strike to make it 4-1 and some decent periods of possession, but substitutes Jhon Duran and Andreas Schjelderup scored late on to effectively put the tie beyond the Gorgie side. Overall, goalkeeper Beau Reus was probably their best player on a difficult night.
The visitors got forward only occasionally with Benfica monopolising possession and showing their craft at picking holes in the opposition back line. Reus made several impressive stops in both halves and showed himself to be a shrewd acquisition. Team-mates in front of him chased shadows for much of the night. Prestianni and Georgiy Sudakov were the orchestrators of this encounter with intricate passing and sharp movement.
With so much stacked against them ahead of kick-off, it would have been understandable if Hearts arrived in Lisbon with an air of trepidation. Benfica are among the favourites to win the Europa League outright and 60,776 fans - mostly Benfiquistas - were in attendance to see the anticipated next step on that journey. The Scottish side wanted simply to do themselves justice, backed by around 1,300 travelling fans.
Benficaâs famous bald eagle, Ăguia VitĂłria, made its customary pre-match flight around the ground. Hearts fans were significantly outnumbered here. Some had spent the afternoon in Lisbonâs Praca do Comercio square, where temperatures exceeded 30 degrees, perhaps hoping simply to see their team avoid a skelping. This was always a daunting one to avoid four defeats in a row for head coach Wouter Vrancken, particularly when Benfica scored inside three minutes. Leandro Barreiroâs low cutback was swept home comfortably by the unmarked Silva and the Lisbon locals roared their approval. Barreiro forced Reus into a fine low save moments later, and the Dutchman then beat away another effort from Prestianni.
Benficaâs midfield runners were causing Hearts trouble as they swarmed in and around the penalty box. They were simply too quick and slick for their direct opponents. Full-backs Alexander Bah on the right and Samuel Dahl on the left also constantly advanced to create overloads on the flanks. Sudakov tucked in off the right side to roam around and cause more havoc in the final third.
Reus tipped Barreiroâs 22nd-minute header over the crossbar following defender Clement Lengletâs lofted forward ball. From the resultant corner, captain Araujo headed the hosts 2-0 in front. Reus got a hand to the ball but could not prevent it crossing the line. It was the fourth goal Hearts have conceded from a set-play in this seasonâs four competitive games.
Laurent Mendy showed good composure on the ball to feed Calvin Miller for an attacking run on 32 minutes. Miller scampered forward and was fouled by Prestianni. Spittal delivered the resultant free-kick, which Mendy headed powerfully against the crossbar with Benfica goalkeeper Samuel Soares beaten. Hearts were giving a better account of themselves, but the tendency to self-destruct returned five minutes before the interval. Mendy pulled Barreiro inside the area as he darted towards Sudakovâs backheel, and Romanian referee Marian Barbu instantly pointed to the penalty spot. Pavlidis converted calmly.
Pavlidis was denied a second goal for offside before half-time. At 3-0, this was now a case of damage limitation for Hearts. Vrancken needed to shore up his midfield with both Spittal and Mendy exposed. Claudio Braga looked lost in the No.10 position. The manager introduced centre-back Jamie McCart and midfielder Tom Renaud for captain Harry Milne and Mendy respectively. Miller and Alexandros Kyziridis switched flanks.
Jordi Altenaâs shot early in the second half didnât trouble Soares but was at least an effort on target for the visitors. They fell 4-0 behind on 59 minutes after Renaudâs pass on the edge of his own penalty area was intercepted by Prestianni. He wasted no time angling an emphatic finish high past Reus. The tie looked over at that point but, on 72 minutes, Hearts constructed an excellent goal to give themselves a lifeline. Kyziridis, sub Sabri Guendouz - one of the teamâs positives - and Spittal all combined for Guendouz to slip a pass to Renaud. From an acute angle on the right of the penalty area, the Frenchman fired a crisp finish into the corner of the net.
âCan you hear Benfica sing?â was the sarcastic chant from the away end. Another Renaud shot rose over the crossbar before substitute Schjelderup set up Duran for Benficaâs fifth. Schjelderup then claimed the sixth from the penalty spot after Oisin McEntee was penalised for handball.
