LAWRENCE SHANKLAND took the rap for missed chances as Hearts crashed to defeat.
Bundesliga side Heidenheim scored twice in the second half to dump Neil Critchley’s Jambos.
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But captain Shanks said: “It does feel like a missed opportunity. They are a good team playing at a good level and it was a challenge for us.
“But overall the performance was good and we created enough chances for myself.
“That one is on me. I should be sticking them away, so it’s disappointing.
“The first half was a bit gung ho and we had to go after them.
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“They kept us running, but then we came back into it after a 15-minute lull in the second half.
“We finished strong and there was another good chance for me.
“Unfortunately, it’s not happening at the minute.
“The new manager wants us to be on the front foot all the time and that will take time for the team to switch.
“But we have been doing well and had some strong performances since he came in.
“This was another one and if I had taken my chances, we would have got a result.”
Hearts created decent chances in both halves, with Shankland continuing his goal struggles.
But Heidenheim upped their game after the break and Sirlord Conteh finished off a flowing move to put them ahead.
The Jambos continued to press for a leveller, but the Bundesliga men sealed the points after 89 minutes through Jan Schoppner’s header.
Hearts sit in 12th place on six points after three games, with Cercle Brugge up next up on November 28.
Critchley said: “We got punished by two real moments of quality, but our performance was excellent. I’m disappointed for the players because I felt we deserved more from the game.
“It’s a harsh lesson on what top-quality European football is all about.
“You need to take your chances when you are on top, otherwise you run the risk of that happening.
How Hearts’ stars rated
By ROBERT THOMSON
Craig Gordon – Made his 300th appearance for Hearts but had no chance of celebrating with a clean sheet as soon as Sirlord Conteh rose in the box. Helpless with the second too. 6
Adam Forrester – Couldn’t cope with Mathias Honsak in the build-up to the Heidenheim opening goal. The youngster combined well with Forrest when Hearts attacked and is learning plenty from these Euro games. 6
Frankie Kent – Should have put Hearts ahead early in the game with a diving header at the back post from a corner but somehow sent it wide. Too easily beaten by Jan Schoppner for the second. 5
Stephen Kingsley – Slotted into the middle of the back four in place of Kye Rowles’ and handled the Germans’ attack well. Was always keen to step out and link up with his midfielders. 6
James Penrice – Couldn’t get to Sirlord Conteh before he smashed a header past Craig Gordon. Combined well with Blair Spittal to get high up the park as much as he could. 7
Malachi Boateng – Growing in stature with every game at this level and made a fantastic clearance off the line to keep Hearts level. Patrolled the midfield breaking up attacks until subbed. 6
Beni Baningime – Had a real battle in the middle of the park when Heidenheim tried to spring attacks but started to fade so was subbed for Cammy Devlin when his side went behind. 6
Blair Spittal – Will feel he should have done better after being played in by Alan Forrest’s fantastic through ball but delayed too much. Showed real glimpses of quality throughout the night. 7
Alan Forrest – Missed what looked like a sitter in the first half so was glad to see the linesman’s flag then picked out Blair Spittal with a superb ball but he couldn’t score. 6
Yan Dhanda – Tested Kevin Muller with a shot from 16 yards but was too straight to trouble the keeper. Always found space and tried to inflict damage but couldn’t conjure that killer ball. 5
Lawrence Shankland – Goal drought continues but it shouldn’t have after being given a clear sight three minutes in then another with 8 left. Linked up well but you can see his frustration growing. 6
SUBS
Kenneth Vargas (Dhanda 64) – Brought on for Dhanda as the Jambos chased an equaliser. 3
Cammy Devlin (Baningime 64) – Slotted into midfield and made some great tackles. 4
Daniel Oyegoke (Forrester 77) – Replaced Forrester on the right of defence. 3
Jorge Grant (Boateng 77) – Asked to provide fresh legs going into the final stages. 3
“We went to the end, gave everything and had good aggression and intensity.
“There was a lot of intent and you could see that by the way the fans stayed behind to applaud the team. But sometimes you don’t get what you deserve in football.
“We just lacked that moment, that bit of quality that would have broken the deadlock and got us in front.
“I felt we deserved to be ahead, but they punished us and credit to them for that.
“Their first was from a fantastic counter-attack, but the story of our night was missed chances.
“We moved the ball well and played some nice stuff, but we end up disappointed.
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“There are a number of things I still want to focus on and we don’t have a lot of time between games just now.
“We’ll take a lot of positives from this, but I believe we deserved more.”
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