Jon Gorenc Stankovic celebrates after his goalSNS

Jon Gorenc Stankovic celebrates after his free header opened the scoring

At a glance

  • Wouter Vrancken's first game in charge as Hearts head coach ends in humbling defeat

  • Three goals in nine second-half minutes all but end any hope of Champions League qualifying progression

  • Hearts now set to face winner of tie between Benfica & St Gallen in Europa League qualifying

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Wouter Vrancken's reign as head coach got off to the worst possible start as his Hearts side fell to a horrendous 4-0 loss to Sturm Graz in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier in Austria.

Having been denied the Scottish title in the final minutes of the season in May, the Edinburgh club were making their first appearance in the competition since 2006 but it all went horribly wrong.

After only four minutes Jon Gorenc Stankovic rose to nod in for the hosts from a throw-in but the response from Hearts was initially encouraging.

Pierre Landry Kabore and Alexandros Kyziridis both passed up gilt-edged chances, moments of wastefulness which would come back to haunt the visitors.

Moments into the second-half, Sturm scored from a corner as defender Jeyland Mitchell was allowed to tap in from a woefully-defended set-piece.

Two avoidable goals soon became three, then four.

Feeble defending allowed 17-year-old Luca Weinhandl to score via a deflection, before Jurgen Heil was allowed to waltz into the box and smash his strike through the keeper and into the net.

Hearts head back to Tynecastle for the return leg next Tuesday with their tail firmly between their legs.

Any hope of progression in this tournament has all but been extinguished, with Portuguese giants Benfica or Swiss side St Gallen lying in wait in Europa League qualifying.

Analysis: Avoidable goals humiliate Hearts

A lot has changed at Hearts in the two months since the league title was lost in the final moments of the campaign.

The head coach, captain, and talisman all swapped maroon for royal blue, leaving for Rangers.

There's been 10 new signings, the arrival of Vrancken from Belgium, and a feeling that the slate had been wiped clean.

But in the space of nine second-half minutes, this tie was effectively thrown away by inexcusable, and inexplicably poor, defending.

Set-pieces were Hearts' bread and butter last season. Set-piece coach Ross Grant left for Celtic, but no one could have expected their strength would become such a weakness so soon.

There were only two of those new signings in Vrancken's first XI but there were also starts for Jamie McCart and Christian Borchgrevink, rarely seen last season.

Those two were part of a back-line that looked vulnerable whenever gently prodded, let alone attacked with any real threat.

That said, at half-time the 1-0 scoreline felt a poor reflection of a game in which Hearts' had created numerous chances.

Kabore and Kyziridis both should have scored, and the attacking intent Vrancken's men showed would have encouraged any pessimistic Hearts fans.

But for all the ambition, their brainless start to the second half left the entire team punchdrunk, and the only aim being to leave without conceding any more.

Vrancken's honeymoon lasted just an hour. Welcome to modern football.

What they said

'The scoreline is too much' - Vrancken

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken: "We didn't start too badly but then lost the [goal from the] set piece. Our game got killed by two set-pieces.

"After the first goal, we needed some minutes to come back in it and find our confidence again. But then we did well and created a lot of chances. We have to do a lot better with these chances, at this level you have to score goals there.

"I was confident at half-time that we could still turn it around, that we could use the space better and show more conviction.

"Then the second half starts. We get the first good opportunity, we miss it. Then we concede from a set-piece and mentally it's difficult for the players.

"Then the players want to force it and lose the overview and make it more difficult."

What's next?

Hearts welcome Sturm to Tynecastle in the second leg next Tuesday (19:45 BST).