Siroki Brijeg 0 Hearts 0 (agg: 0-3)

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport, Mostar

Hearts will play AEK Athens in the third qualifying round of the Champions League after a 3-0 aggregate win over Siroki Brijeg.

The Gorgie side travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a three-goal lead from the first leg but had Craig Gordon to thank for their clean sheet at the Pecara stadium.

The Scotland goalkeeper made two fine saves from Mislav Karoglan in the first half and a tremendous close-range block from Celson just after the interval, among others.

Gordon's performance helped set up a lucrative tie against the Greeks, the first game to be played at Murrayfield next Wednesday.

The Edinburgh side showed early on tonight that they would not be content to sit on their healthy advantage in tonight's second leg.

Deividas Cesnauskis earned a seventh minute free-kick 30 yards from goal when he was fouled by Siroki defender Ivica Landeka.

Striker Roman Bednar fired in the set-piece which home goalkeeper Vladimir Vasilj gathered only at the second attempt.

The nervy Siroki keeper, who had replaced Tomislav Basic from the first leg at Murrayfield, then punched an inswinging Neil McCann corner backwards into his own net but referee Viktor Kassai judged he had been fouled inside the packed six-yard box.

Siroki's 10,000-capacity Pecara stadium was around three quarters full and enjoying the early sparring but the Bosnia and Herzegovina side looked insipid instead of inspired.

But in the 15th minute Karoglan skipped easily past Julien Brellier and unleashed a powerful drive from 25 yards which Tynecastle keeper Gordon did well to push past the past for a corner, which was then easily defended.

The home side began to assert themselves and Gordon again had to make an impressive save from Karoglan, this time diving to his left to punch away a powerful free-kick from distance by the Siroki striker.

The match, if not the tie, was finely balanced but the Gorgie men were careful not to commit too many men in a build-up that was a little more cautious than usual.

On the half hour Hearts defender Christophe Berra scythed down Karoglan at the edge of the Jambos penalty area but Wagner Lago's free-kick rebounded off the defensive wall.

The increasingly confident Siroki then forced a series of corners but the Scots held firm although the 200 or so visiting fans were now becoming nervy.

Just before the interval the home side created a decent chance when defender Marko Kovacic skipped past Takis Fyssas on the right and cut the ball back to Ronelle Gomes 14 yards from goal.

But the Siroki player missed his kick altogether and then Josip Papic compounded the mistake by firing high over the bar from just outside the penalty area.

Siroki began the second half on the ascendancy and in the 50th minute Wagner set up Celson just eight yards from goal - but the Brazilian's shot was brilliantly blocked by Gordon.

Hearts were living dangerously although Bednar's dangerous cross from wide on the right may have reaped rewards if a maroon jersey had taken the gamble and anticipated the ball coming over the back post area.

On the hour mark Jambos defender Robbie Neilson, who learned earlier in the day that he had been drafted into the Scotland squad's get-together later in the month by national coach Walter Smith, was replaced by Ibrahim Tall while Saulius Mikoliunas came on for McCann.

In the 77th minute Gordon again made an impressive save, tipping an angled drive from Siroki substitute Hrvoje Erceg, who had come on for Kovacic, round the post.

The visitors defended the set-piece easily and moments later at the other end, Bruno Aguiar fired a 25-yard free-kick just wide.

In the 84th minute, Hearts' Bosnian substitute Mirsad Beslija was jeered by the home fans when he replaced Cesnauskis - but it was he and his team-mates who had the last laugh.

Teams

Siroki Brijeg: Vasilj, Anic, Silic, Wagner,

Papic (Studenovic 88), Pandza, Ivica Landeka, Gomes,

Kovacic (Erceg 69), Karoglan, Celson (Carvalho 76).

Subs Not Used: Basic, Doci, Dalibor Kozul, Kvesic.

Booked: Silic, Pandza, Anic.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson (Tall 60), Fyssas, Pressley,

McCann (Mikoliunas 61), Aguiar, Pospisil, Bednar,

Cesnauskis (Beslija 85), Berra, Brellier.

Subs Not Used: Banks, Makela, Wallace, Mole.

Booked: Bednar, Mikoliunas.

Agg (0-3) Att: 6,000

Ref: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).

Taken from sportinglife.com