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Alfred sweeps Belarussian side into lead but own goal levels game
Hearts play first Conference League tie of season
Match behind closed doors in Azerbaijan after Uefa ruled games could not be played in Belarus
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
End to end, there.
Hearts with a cracking chance through Lawrence Shankland's head. It's powerful but batters into a body, then, his rebound is weak.
Straight up the other end, Minsk nearly net through their top goalscorer, Raymond Adeola.
Agony for both star strikers.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Allan Preston
Former Hearts defender on BBC Sportsound
The substitutes have brought Hearts much more energy.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Stephen Alfred is off, and Hearts will be happy to see the back of him
Trofim Melnichenko comes on.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Ah, Yan Dhanda. Why you going for goal?
Wasted.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Frankie Kent charges forward and manages to earn a free kick in a very good position...
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Indeed his race is run.
19-year-old Macaulay Tait is on.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
It's been a good night for Beni Baningime, but he's down in a bit of pain here.
Everyone is well versed in his injury woes, so it's a shame to see him shaking his head.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Another shot on target for Hearts and Lawrence Shankland, but it's far from his best effort.
It's tame and a simple smother for Fedor Lapoukhov in goal.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Double switch for Hearts now.
Yan Dhanda and Jorge Grant are on.
Barrie McKay and Cammy Devlin depart.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Raymond Adeola, Minsk's top goalscorer this season is on for Nikita Demchenko.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Stephen Alfred bundles through both Kye Rowles and Frankie Kent.
Fair play to the forward, he's not backing down without a fight.
No surprise, free kick for Hearts.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Haul of the jersey from Lawrence Shankland and it's a clear foul for Minsk.
A right frustrating night for the Hearts skipper.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Allan Preston
Former Hearts defender on BBC Sportsound
Get him off. Get Barrie McKay off.
He's not having a good night.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
James Penrice has taken a dunt to the head and there's a wee break as he gets his bearings.
All good once more.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Ah, Barrie McKay.
His corner can't get by the first man.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Much better from Hearts!
That's the first time Lawrence Shankland has had the ball at his feet, and he's one strong save away from burying a beauty.
It's patient build-up down the left and the skipper is found on the edge of the box.
He bends the ball outside the post and it's curling in if not for the Minsk shotstopper.
Corner coming.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Azerbaijan
The game is now very open, however, there is little evidence of either team being able to play though the opposition lines.
One goal though may be all that's needed.
Can Hearts somehow find that one piece of quality required?
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Allan Preston
Former Hearts defender on BBC Sportsound
Minsk are starting to dominate, Hearts need to come up with something different.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Barrie McKay tries to take on, what seems to be, every Minsk player.
It's just now happening for him tonight. Never coming out of the situation on top.
Dinamo Minsk 1-1 Hearts
Kenneth Vargas is the first substitute on for Hearts.
It's a straight swap for Alan Forrest.
Conference League: Dinamo Minsk v Hearts
Date: Thursday 4 Oct Venue: Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium, Sumqayit, Azerbaijan Kick-off: 17:45 BST
Coverage: Radio Scotland commentary & text updates on the BBC Sport website & app.
Experience of empty stadiums during the Covid epidemic will ensure Hearts can deal with playing their opening Conference League match against Dinamo Minsk behind closed doors, says interim head coach Liam Fox.
The match takes place on neutral territory at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumqayit, Azerbaijan, since Belarusian clubs are banned by Uefa from playing European ties in their own country due to their nation's involvement in Russia's war with Ukraine.
"A lot of these lads will have played through Covid times which is probably quite similar," said Fox.
"All I can say is we are looking forward to it. We can’t look for excuses. That's not the mentality we are looking for. It’s just a different challenge to overcome.
"I believe in the group and that we can go out and get a result wherever we play."
Sumqayit is a 75-minute drive from the Azerbaijan capital Baku, a six-hour flight away from Edinburgh.
"The trip has been fine," said Fox. "The preparation was all done before I came into this role. Planning has been great, hotel is great, flight was great so we are excited to be here."
Fox has been promoted from the B team to take over from Steven Naismith, who was sacked after eight successive defeats, and Saturday's 1-1 draw with Ross County made it 10 games without a win for Hearts this season.
"I'm learning every day," he said. "Especially in this interim role as I know it’s only for a short period.
"What I will say is the players' attitude and application has been really good."
Minsk are 20 games into their domestic league campaign and sit second in the Premiere League, three points behind Neman Grodno with three games in hand.
"They are on a really good run of form and have some talented players with a physicality," said Fox.
"You don’t play bad sides at this stage of European football. It’s going to be a challenge.
"My sole focus is always us. How can we effect the game? How will we be without the ball? How are we going to be with the ball?"
"Everybody is fit and healthy so I have some selection headaches, which is good," said Fox.
Midfielder Malachi Boateng, winger Yutaro Oda and left-back Andres Salazar are in the travelling party, having been excluded from Fox's squad for the weekend draw at home to Ross County.
Dinamo defender Alyaksandr Sachywka pointed out that his side have played all their 'home' qualifiers in empty stadiums since 2022.
"It’s good to play at home, there is always a nice atmosphere and it's good to have the fans close to you," he said.
"But we are used to playing without fans, this is the third season we have done this now. It’s not a situation we would choose, but we need to do it, so it's okay with us.
"Maybe it’s lucky for us that we are playing Hearts here because we know the support they have in Edinburgh is very strong."
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cercle Brugge | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
|
| 2 | Vitória Guimarães | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 3 | Astana | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 4 | Molde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 5 | Noah | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 6 | Omonia Nicosia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 7 | Rapid Vienna | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 8 | Heidenheim | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 9 | Legia Warszawa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 11 | Dinamo Minsk | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 12 | APOEL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 13 | Borac Banja Luka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 15 | Djurgården | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 16 | København | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| |
| 18 | Gent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 19 | HJK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 20 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 21 | LASK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 22 | Lugano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 23 | Pafos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 24 | Panathinaikos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 25 | Petrocub | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 26 | Shamrock Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 27 | The New Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| 28 | Olimpija | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 29 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 31 | Celje | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 32 | Larne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 33 | Mladá Boleslav | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 34 | TSC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 35 | Víkingur Reykjavík | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| 36 | St.Gallen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 0 |
|
Manager: Vadim Skripchenko
Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1
Manager: Liam Fox
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
Manager: Vadim Skripchenko
Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1
Manager: Liam Fox
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
UEFA Conference League
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