Dogged Kilmarnock battled to an impressive victory over Hearts despite playing with 10 men for 90 minutes, to leave their visitors bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
Hearts fans, let us know your thoughts on the game. How concerned are you by that performance against 10 men?
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Neil Critchley: "I'm not frustrated, I'm more than frustrated. I'm stunned and shocked by that performance.
"I've not seen that from this group in my time here. That was miles away in every department.
"We started brightly and then the sending off changes the game, and the next 10 minutes we got too emotional with the ball and made poor decisions. We made poor decisions off the ball, which cost us the game.
"We did nowhere near enough, we played in front of them and square and around too often. We needed to put the ball in the box and ask questions, we never did that.
"It was devoid of any ideas, it was an unacceptable performance. I've got so much going through my head, like I've been through a tumble dryer. We had enough attacking players on the pitch. We never played with personality, someone has to make something happen on the pitch and we didn't.
"It was like we accepted the situation and accepted we were going to lose. I've said to the players that can never happen again."
Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSThe general feeling is Hearts are too good not to start rising up the table. But how long can that sense last when results and peoples' own eyes tell them differently?
After a tough and tiring trip to Copenhagen on Thursday and with major injuries at the back, this always had the look of a tough game.
But when handed such an advantage after only six minutes, the expectations for Hearts changed, and an opportunity presented itself.
They had started brightly, too, with Musa Drammeh hitting the bar in the opening two minutes.
But rather than harnessing their early momentum and the red card they looked the more likely to concede, with Penrice's challenge on Wright for the penalty summing up their lack of composure.
In the second half, despite emptying their bench, they only forced O'Hara into two saves.
In total they flung 41 crosses into the Kilmarnock box, but mustered four attempts on target from them.
It has been a problem all season, with only Ross County scoring fewer goals. It is a tough spell for Critchley in the early days of his Hearts tenure, which was only compounded by the news centre-back Frankie Kent faces months out injured.
A huge game against Petrocub is next on Thursday as Hearts bid to go through to the next round of the Conference League, but arguably more pressing are the league matches before the January window against St Johnstone, rivals Hibernian, and County.
Image source, SNSGoalkeeper Craig Gordon kept Hearts in the game with two excellent first-half saves.
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Neil Critchley confirms Frankie Kent has suffered "a significant injury" and is set to be out "for months".
The defender went off with an injury to his quad in Thursday's Conference League match with Copenhagen.
"He's got a similar injury to Stephen Kinglsey, though it's in his quad not his hamstring," Crithcley told BBC Scotland.
"It's a significant injury which is a big blow, obviously, and he's facing a lengthy period on sidelines.
"I would say it would be months, definitely. He still needs to go and see a specialist to decide if we'll operate.
"He's been outstanding since I came in, he's a big personality, a great guy to have around the dressing room, so we'll miss him.
"If you look at our squad and our defensive options and cover, then that is an area of the pitch we'll be looking to strengthen in January."
Defender Kye Rowles, 26, is ready to shoulder more responsibility at Hearts. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Image source, SNSKilmarnock manager Derek McInnes hopes to have Matty Kennedy, Liam Donnelly and Robby McCrorie available. Long-term absentee Stuart Findlay (ankle) is the only player ruled out.
Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is suspended and defender Frankie Kent looks almost certain to miss out after aggravating a quad injury against Copenhagen.
Beni Baningime (knee) is a doubt and both Stephen Kingsley and Calem Nieuwenhof remain out with hamstring injuries.
Image source, SNSHearts boss Neil Critchley believes Kilmarnock will be "rubbing their hands" at the prospect of facing the Jambos on the back of a European away game.
Critchley's side lost 2-0 to Copenhagen on Thursday night in Denmark, and will travel to Ayrshire on Sunday as they return to league duties.
"They're all big games," Critchley told HeartsTV. "Kilmarnock away, they'll be rubbing their hands together that we have played on Thursday night and it's always a tough place to go to.
"But that's the game. We have to be ready. We can't dwell on this game, keep moving forward, and we've got an important game coming up in the league now."
Hearts lost to Kilmarnock just a few weeks ago, throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at Tynecastle.
A win for Critchley's side would see them leapfrog their hosts in the table, and they could potentially rise up to eighth in the Premiership table if results go their way.
Cammy Devlin, 26, puts his heated exchange with Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland, 29, during Thursday's Conference League defeat by Copenhagen as "just football" and insists: "We're fine." (Record), external
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 41, is bemused as to how he conceded a penalty against Copenhagen rather than being awarded a free-kick for Amin Chiaka's challenge. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Image source, SNSKilmarnock have only suffered two defeats in their last 12 Scottish Premiership meetings with Hearts (W6 D4), winning their first league match against them this season 2-1 in October.
Hearts have kept a clean sheet in their last two league visits to Kilmarnock (W1 D1), this after conceding 2+ goals in each of their previous three at Rugby Park in the Scottish Premiership.
No side has earned fewer points at home in the Scottish Premiership this season than Kilmarnock (6), who have won just once in their last eight league games at Rugby Park (D4 L3), beating Rangers 1-0 in October.
Hearts have only won one of their last 11 away league outings (D3 L7), beating St Johnstone 2-1 in early November.
Only Aston Oxborough (55) has made more saves in the Scottish Premiership this season than Kilmarnock's Robby McCrorie (42), who has made at least three saves in each of his last five league appearances.
We asked for your views on Hearts' 2-0 defeat against Copenhagen in the Conference League.
Here's what some of you said:
Iain: Poor stuff yet again. We'll be lucky to get out of this group now. Craig Halkett is a decent player but he's permanently injured so he's no use. Too many players and board members happy to take a substantial wage and live well but give nothing for it. We're in big trouble, mark my words.
Steve: 2-0 going on 6-0. The penalty was atrocious! The opposition was strong but had a weak defence, sadly we never troubled them. No pace in this team which many have identified but done nothing about. Top marks to Craig Gordon and James Penrice who stood out by a country mile. Frankie Kent's loss is huge. I think we'll get three points next week to make the play-offs.
Alex: That's three times now in Europe against top opposition that Neil Critchley has looked out of his depth. Tactics all over the place and substitutions that made no impact. European games are starting to follow a familiar pattern.
Pete: Copenhagen were a level above so the result isn't too disappointing but this squad is in need of some emergency surgery. We can't rely on injury-prone players like Halkett and we are desperately lacking pace and quality up front and out wide. Alan Forrest epitomises the limitations of the squad, just not good enough.
Chris: That was bad. We are bad. You can play good teams and lose but the manner in which we lost is actually embarrassing on a major European stage. What Gordon is doing at nearly 42 is unfathomable, he is somehow getting better each week and stopped this being a much higher score. He deserves better than this expensive mess of a team in front of him.
Jim: Critchley is Steven Naismith in disguise. Cannot find a settled team. Spend what we have earned in Europe by sacking Andrew McKinlay and Critchley. Copenhagen are a good team, but our stats were terrible.
Goalkeeper Craig Gordon was "very frustrated" with FC Copenhagen's controversial penalty in Hearts' 2-0 Conference League defeat in Demark and says it's now "all or nothing" when Petrocub visit Tynecastle next week.
Hearts' hopes of Conference League progression now rest on their final league-stage match against Moldovan side Petrocub, following a lacklustre defeat in Copenhagen.
Second-half goals by Amin Chiakha and Kevin Diks secured a deserved win for the Danish league leaders, who climb above Hearts in the table.
Copenhagen dominated possession from the start and their impressive pressing kept the visitors penned in their own half.
Whether you were in Copenhagen or watched on from elsewhere, we want your thoughts on the game.
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Neil Critchley: "I think you just have to hold your hands up sometimes and say the better team won.
"They were the best team we've played in this competition, I think that was evident on the pitch.
"We came with the plan to try and have a go, but when you're playing against very technical players, it's hard to pick those moments when to go and when we did, they picked us off which can then unnerve the players.
"They got into our penalty box too many times. We had some moments where we were wasteful, but we were still in the game at 1-0.
"We had a plan and we were just on the cusp of doing that, to have a right go at the end of the game when a really poor decision took that opportunity to have a real go away.
"They were the better team, they deserved to win but, at 1-0 you're waiting for that moment and a poor decision took that away from us.
"If we thought we were going to come here and they wouldn't have chances, we'd be mistaken. You need a bit of luck and fortune, we had that when it hit the bar in the first half, we didn't for the penalty decision - you need those things to go your way.
"In these games, all your limitations get exposed. Technical, physical, intelligence. At times, we found it difficult.
"The first goal was a bad goal and a bad moment, we're normally better than that. For him to travel as far as he did unchallenged was poor from our point of view.
"I don't at all think it's a penalty. It's a natural coming together, you can't make players disappear. Both players get a touch on the ball. It was a really bad decision."
On Frankie Kent's injury: "It is his quad, but it's too early to say. It's not ideal, we're becoming stretched in that position."
George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSCritchley promised not to park the bus against a team he described as the strongest Hearts have faced in Europe this season.
However, the Gorgie side struggled to get out of their own half in the opening 45 minutes, and were second best to the Danes in every department.
The plan was clearly to use Lawrence Shankland's hold-up play and Kenneth Vargas' pace to get up the park, but Copenhagen dealt with Hearts' front two with ease and launched attack upon attack, with Penrice's superb tackle keeping it goalless.
The early concession in the second half undermined the battling work in the first 45, and from there, Copenhagen upped the pace further.
Gordon got down to his left to keep out a close-range Thomas Delaney header and just moments later sprung to his right to deny Chaikha, who looked certain to add his second after Hearts were opened up all too easily.
The visitors did finally have a shot on the hour mark, but Cammy Devlin's deflected effort was closer to the corner flag than the Copenhagen goal.
There was only one side who ever looked likely to add to the scoreline, and the hosts did so late on after Chiakha went to ground having collided with Gordon.
The Hearts goalkeeper got a touch on the ball, but was deemed - perhaps harshly - to have fouled the young striker.
Diks calmly dispatched the spot kick to ensure victory in a totally one-sided contest.
Critchley now has four wins from 12 in charge of Hearts, and go to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday before their meeting with Petrocub.
Image source, GettyCopenhagen forward Mohamed Elyounoussi was on loan at Celtic from Southampton for two years from 2019
Former Celtic forward Mohamed Elyounoussi is one of several Copenhagen players for Hearts to be wary of when the sides clash in the Conference League on Thursday.
The Danish side have just five points from their three games so far - one fewer than Hearts - and urgently need a victory.
Still, they have the quality in their squad in order to do just that, according to Danish football journalist Sebastian Stanbury.
"They have many players who are able to decide a game. Elyounoussi, he's not always the player who takes the game by the scruff of the neck and dictates it, but he very often decides it," Stanbury told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"They have a couple of players like that. Viktor Claesson can do it, Andreas Cornelius on a good day can do it. Thomas Delaney, the former national player of Denmark, can do it.
"They have players who are able to decide a game and that's very important for them and has been very important for them."
Stanbury says the feeling in Denmark is that Copenhagen should beat Hearts, but there's some concern given their previous home matches in the competition.
The Danes lost against Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok, before a 2-2 draw against Istanbul Basaksehir.
"They haven't really been dominating the matches as much as we would have expected considering they are the biggest side in Denmark," Stanbury added.
"They should beat Hearts but they haven't proven this far that they have been able to win those type of matches at home."
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Copenhagen
Image source, SNSBlair Spittal is relishing his first taste of European group-stage football and has urged Hearts to learn from their frustrating defeat at Cercle Brugge when they face FC Copenhagen tonight.
Neil Critchley's men lost 2-0 in Belgium on their previous Conference League outing - with Lawrence Shankland missing a late penalty at 1-0 down - but have headed to Denmark boosted by their first win in six games after beating Dundee on Premiership duty at the weekend.
"It's a different experience playing in Europe," said the midfielder. "That's what you want as a player, to come to different countries and get experience of stadiums you don't play in every week.
"You look forward to what comes and we hope we can put on a performance.
"I think it [defeat in Brugge] was one of real frustration. I didn't think there was a lot between the teams.
"They punished us in key moments and that's something we need to learn from.
"We lost but I think overall in Europe we have performed really well. So against Copenhagen we know it will be a really tough test and we have to concentrate for a full 90 minutes."
Image source, SNSHearts midfielder Beni Baningime has not travelled with the squad to Denmark because of the knee injury that saw him miss Saturday's win against Dundee.
Frankie Kent has trained and is fit to play though after his recent quad injury. Stephen Kinglsey is out long term with a hamstring injury, while Gerald Taylor and Calem Nieuwenhof remain sidelined.
Forward Musa Drammeh is not in the European squad.
FC Copenhagen are without defender Nicolai Boilesen, midfielder Rasmus Falk, who scored against Kilmarnock, and forwards Roony Bardghji and Elias Achouri.
However, Georgia right-back Giorgi Gocholeishvili is in the squad after missing the last two games with a foot injury.
Kilmarnock forward Derek McInnes is delighted Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland, 29, is suspended for this weekend's meeting of the sides. (Record), external
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSHearts players familiarise themselves with the Parken Stadium
Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has urged his side to play with "courage" in Denmark as they seek a Conference League upset against an FC Copenhagen team he believes are on a par with the Old Firm.
Jacob Neestrup's side, who currently top the Danish league and beat Manchester United on their way to the Champions League round of 16 last season, are a point worse off than Hearts after four Conference League games.
"Copenhagen are on the same level as them [the Old Firm]," said Critchley.
"We know the level our game is going to have to be at to compete. But we have competed in those games for long spells and we have created chances in those games as well.
"We know we will have to be good without the ball because we are playing against a good team technically who control the game, but also we have to be good on the ball.
"We need to make sure when we win it back we don't just turn over and give them it back. We have to have courage and play our game and make it our game as best as it can be."
