Beau Reus proved to be the decisive factor for Hearts when his two penalty‑stop saves helped the Scottish side overcome a red card setback and clinch a dramatic shoot‑out win against Rapid Vienna. The victory, which came after a 4‑4 aggregate stalemate, secured Hearts a place in the group stage of the UEFA Conference League. The tie began with a 2‑2 draw at Tynecastle in the first leg, leaving both teams level but the Jambos’ European hopes appeared to be dwindling in the return fixture.
In the second leg, played in Vienna, Hearts fell behind to an early first‑half strike from Ercan Kara and, as the game progressed, found themselves reduced to ten men after Tomas Magnusson received a second yellow card in the 75th minute. The combination of a goal deficit and a numerical disadvantage made the prospect of advancing look bleak.
However, the narrative shifted when substitute Landry Kabore found the net shortly after the dismissal, restoring parity. The drama intensified in extra time when Calvin Miller surged forward and volleyed the ball into the net in the 100th minute, giving Hearts a slender lead.
Yet Rapid Vienna responded in the dying moments of the match, with Nenad Cvetković heading in a cross from Moulaye Haidara in the 119th minute, which leveled the aggregate score at 4‑4 and forced a penalty shoot‑out. In the ensuing spot‑kick showdown, Hearts displayed composure. Miller, Jordi Altena, Rogers Mato and Sabah Kerjota all converted their penalties, while Oisin McEntee was the only Hearts player to miss. Rapid Vienna’s shooters each found the back of the net as well, but Reus stood tall between the posts, denying two attempts and emerging as the match hero.
The tactical setup for the second leg saw manager Wouter Vrancken make a single alteration to the starting XI from the first leg, with James Wilson taking the place of Kabore in the attacking line‑up. Rapid Vienna, intent on seizing early control, pressed aggressively. Within the opening ten minutes, Yusuf Demir and Tonni Adamsen forced Reus into several early saves, testing the goalkeeper’s reflexes and positioning.
Hearts suffered an early physical blow in the 15th minute when Tom Renaud was forced off after a collision with Rapid’s Petter Dahl, who had been fouled by Jordi Altena. Magnusson came on for the injured Frenchman, but the Scottish side continued to struggle to find rhythm against a confident Austrian side that appeared to have the upper hand. The deadlock was finally broken in the 34th minute. Rapid’s attack built momentum, and Demir delivered a low shot from the right that glanced off Oisin McEntee before finding the unmarked Kara, who calmly slotted the ball into the net from just outside the six‑yard box.
Hearts had a chance to equalise when Braga, who had come on for Rapid, capitalised on a loose ball, but his angled strike from inside the area was saved by Niklas Hedl. Both teams continued to test each other from distance, with Demir’s curling effort missing narrowly and Kara’s attempt from the edge of the box sailing over the bar. As the first half drew to a close, Hearts began to apply more pressure.
Josh McPake and McEntee each tried long‑range efforts, forcing the Austrian keeper into several saves. The second half saw the Jambos maintain their forward thrust.
Captain Blair Spittal unleashed a 20‑yard volley that drifted just wide, while James Wilson and Braga each had opportunities that went begging. Magnusson then produced a close‑range header from a Spittal free‑kick, only to see it sail wide. His night was cut short when he received a second yellow card for a clumsy trip on Jannes Horn in the 76th minute, reducing Hearts to ten men.
Remarkably, the short‑handed side responded almost immediately. Within three minutes, Kabore, who had come on earlier, adjusted his positioning and headed Spittal’s corner into the near post, restoring parity at 2‑2 on the night. The match entered extra time, and Hearts found the breakthrough in the 100th minute when Miller volleyed home a cross delivered by substitute Rogers Mato. The goal gave the Jambos a fleeting advantage, but the drama was far from over.
In the 119th minute, Rapid’s Cvetković headed in a cross from Haidara, forcing the tie into a penalty shoot‑out. During the shoot‑out, Hearts displayed composure under pressure.
Miller, Altena, Mato and Kerjota all converted, while McEntee missed his attempt. Rapid’s takers all found the net, but Reus’s two crucial saves tipped the balance in Hearts’ favour, securing a 4‑3 shoot‑out win and marking the club’s most notable European achievement in over twenty years. This success ensures Hearts will compete in the Conference League group stage for the third time in the past five seasons. After the match, head coach Wouter Vrancken spoke to BBC Sport, reflecting on the performance: "We played a really bad first half, a little bit similar to what we did in Benfica.
We had a game plan and we didn't show the guts to follow through. We were already pretty angry at half‑time, and we came out, we did much better. We took the game in our hands, we were dominant at that moment.
They have to learn that they're a good team, that they're good players, that they can show it and show the guts every time, every week, every game. Because in the last away games in Europe, you see that they're a little bit scared to do things, to take risks or to give spaces away. Then we don't play our game.
But the progress of the team is amazing. The team spirit, I saw it from the first session.
They want to learn. They wanted to have feedback, they want to go into it and the kind of football we played. This is the result, they get rewarded, and I'm so happy for them."