And, if the fans believed they were up to the task so did the players. And they backed that up with a performance that proved it, overcoming Rosenborg 3-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate. In their minds, they had the momentum after a strong finish in Norway, when a late Lawrence Shankland goal had reduced the deficit. But there was a huge blow to their ambition’s within the first five minutes when the former St Mirren player Isak Thorvaldsson drew first blood as Hearts conceded a messy opening goal. Zander Clark managed to halt the first header but after the ball bobbled about in the congested box, Clark couldn’t stop it squirming over the line. Under the Tynecastle lights, with the home crowd in full voice, that kind of start might of killed the mood but instead, the players and the fans stayed focused on the job at hand and they managed to hit the reset button just seven minutes later when captain Shankland, who remains linked with Saudi Arabian suitors, showed where his priorities lay. Chasing down a long ball over the top, he showed why he has such a prolific goal return, keeping his cool and chipping the keeper to level the score on the night and take them back to within one goal of cancelling out Rosenborg’s aggregate lead. When a side is seeking goals, it is no bad thing to have the likes of Shankland and the returning Liam Boyce in the line up. The Northern Irishman was making his first competitive start since August last year and he was a man on a mission. He has admitted that some profligacy in last term’s European play-off against FC Zurich has played on his mind throughout his long rehabilitation from his knee injury and there was a desire to make up for lost opportunities after he spent last season as a cheerleader for his team-mates in their Conference League games. All that was channelled into an impressive showing of industry, street smarts and quality link up play as he joined the high press and tried to carve out the openings Hearts needed to take them through to a meeting with PAOK. On the back of that final flourish in Norway, the intention had been to put the visitors under pressure and see if they would crack. In the end, on a night that will go down in history, they did. The early goal had impeded them but, having restored parity, Hearts returned to their original tactics. It made for an open game as Rosenborg posed a threat on the counter-attack but Hearts had a potency and a desire that could not be contained. They had to clear off the line and Clark pulled off a smart save in stoppage time but Hearts also forced saves, skimmed the bar and were denied by the woodwork before Cammy Devlin stepped up. Paired with young Aidan Denholm in the middle of the park, he was integral to the victory. Especially when he weighed in with a double he will never forget. Boyce did the hard work for the 50th minute but when his effort was stopped the wee Socceroo followed in and levelled the tie and his trademark tenacity paid off handsomely in injury time as his first shot was blocked but he stayed calm and, having another dig, drilled home the winner.
