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Louise Thomas
Editor
Substitute Yan Dhanda scored a last-gasp winner as managerless Hearts came from behind to claim their first competitive victory of the season in their Europa Conference League opener against Dinamo Minsk in Azerbaijan.
The Edinburgh side had failed to win any of their previous 10 matches this term and looked like they could be set for another frustrating night when Stephen Alfred put the Belarusian champions ahead in the 20th minute.
But Hearts equalised in the 37th minute through an own goal from Sergei Politevich before Dhanda popped up with a 94th-minute header to seal a 2-1 victory that they will hope can finally kick-start their hitherto dismal campaign.
With Belarusian clubs banned by UEFA from playing European ties on home soil as a result of the country’s involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the match was staged behind closed doors at the 10,500-capacity Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumqayit. It was the furthest distance from Tynecastle that Hearts had ever played a competitive match.
In addition to kicking off their eagerly awaited Conference League adventure with none of their fans in attendance, Hearts also went into the competition without a permanent manager, although chief executive Andrew McKinlay did reveal ahead of the match that the club had a shortlist of seven or eight contenders and that the new man would probably not be Scottish.
‘B’ team manager Liam Fox – holding the fort on an interim basis following Steven Naismith’s sacking last month – made three changes to the team that started the 1-1 draw at home to Ross County last Saturday as James Penrice, Alan Forrest and Barrie McKay replaced Stephen Kingsley, Jorge Grant and Kenneth Vargas.
That meant Adam Forrester kept his place after making his debut against County, and the teenage right-back spurned the first opportunity of the evening when he blazed an angled shot high and wide from 12 yards out following good work by Blair Spittal and Forrest to set him up.
McKay and Lawrence Shankland then both saw sent shots over the bar from the edge of the box as the Edinburgh side settled fairly well into the match.
Despite having looked comfortable in the early exchanges, Hearts fell behind in the 20th minute. Left-back Rai Lopes was not tracked by Forrest as he got to the byline all too easily and cut the ball back for Nigerian striker Alfred, who swept a left-footed finish in at Craig Gordon’s left-hand post from seven yards out.
Hearts responded well to this setback and drew level, albeit with a bit of fortune, in the 37th minute when Minsk defender Politevich, attempting to clear Penrice’s inswinging corner, glanced a header into his own net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Clear chances were few and far between for both sides after the break, but the Jambos eventually secured their first win since May when Dhanda nodded home from six yards after Shankland had headed substitute Grant’s cross into his path in the last minute of stoppage time.
