[REVISION HISTORY]

Sturm Graz eliminates Hearts, Europa League next

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-29 08:42 UTC → 2026-07-29 08:43 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Sturm Graz eliminates ~~Hearts from Champions~~ Hearts, Europa League ~~qualifier~~ next

Sturm Graz opened the 2026‑27 Champions League second‑qualifying round with a 4‑0 win over Heart of Midlothian on 21 July, giving the Austrian side a comfortable first‑leg advantage. Hearts entered the return match at Tynecastle Park as heavy underdogs; new manager Wouter Vrancken warned that his side had been “killed by set‑piece play” and needed defensive improvement, while former Hearts midfielder Peter Haring, now playing in Austria, expressed cautious optimism for a comeback. On 28 July, Hearts were unable to overturn the deficit, losing 0‑2 at home. ~~Goals from~~ Simon Seidl opened the scoring in the 65th minute and Emran Soglo ~~secured~~ added a ~~4‑2 aggregate victory for Sturm Graz, eliminating the Scottish club from the Champions League qualifiers. Vrancken lamented missed opportunities but noted~~ second four minutes later; both players had previously been on loan at Zulte Waregem. The defeat left the ~~team will now drop into~~ Scots heavily beaten on aggregate and sent them to the Europa League third‑qualifying ~~round to face~~ round, where they will meet the winner of the ~~St.~~ St Gallen‑Benfica ~~tie,~~ tie. Vrancken, in his second official match with ~~the focus shifting~~ Hearts, acknowledged a preparation gap – Sturm Graz had six weeks to ~~rebuilding~~ ready themselves, while Hearts had only three – and urged his squad to retain intensity, rebuild confidence ~~ahead of~~ and focus on the ~~domestic season.~~ upcoming Europa League challenge.

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