Wouter Vrancken bemoaned his players’ lack of efficiency in both boxes as Hearts slumped to a nightmare 4-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie in Austria.
It was a horrendous first match in charge for Belgian coach Vrancken who replaced Derek McInnes in the Hearts hot seat this summer.
Despite dominating possession and having more touches in the opposition box than Sturm Graz, Vrancken’s side suffered a crushing loss which effectively ends their hopes of further progress in Europe’s elite club competition.
Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken despairs as his new charges suffer in Austria
Hearts were guilty of shocking defending, especially at set pieces, as goals from Jon Stankovic, Jeyland Mitchell, Luca Weindhandl and Jurgen Heil put Graz in total control.
The visitors also missed several clear-cut chances of their own with Pierre Landry-Kabore and Alexander Kyziridis especially culpable when the score was still 1-0.
‘We didn’t start too badly but then conceded from a set piece,’ said Vrancken. ‘That was the summary of the game, we got killed by two set pieces at the start of the first half and second half.
‘After the first goal, we needed some minutes to come back into it and find our confidence again. We did pretty well and created a lot of chances which we needed to do much better with.
‘They were 100 per cent chances and at this level, you have to score them. I was pretty confident at half-time that we could still turn it around.
‘Then the second half started and after we missed the first good opportunity again, we conceded from another set piece.
Graz celebrate after Stankovic scores the early opening goal for Graz
‘Then it is difficult in their heads for the players. Sometimes you try to force it and make it more difficult for yourself. When you don’t kill (teams) yourself, you get killed. It’s a pity.
‘We had to be more efficient and Sturm Graz were more efficient than us tonight. It’s no excuse. We showed in the game that we had a lot of possession and created a lot of chances from it.’
Hearts now look set to drop into the Europa League, where they would face either Benfica or St Gallen in the third qualifying round, but Vrancken insists he hasn’t given up hope of overseeing a dramatic comeback in the return leg against Sturm Graz at Tynecastle next Tuesday.
‘You have to believe it,’ he said. ‘Especially at Tynecastle with the support of our fans. The ones who were here tonight were amazing, even with this result.
‘So we have go full out next week. If we are more efficient in the first half, then you never know. We could score some goals and there could be magic there. In this scenario, we still have to believe it.’
