LONDON, ENGLAND - Reece James of England celebrates with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Marc Guehi after scoring the first goal during the FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball 2026 European Qualifier between England and Latvia at Wembley Stadium on March 24, 2025 in London, England. Photo Sebastian Frej England v Latvia - European Qualifiers Group K - FIFA World Cup 2026 Copyright: Imago Images
Hearts kicked off a new era at Tynecastle with a 2-1 victory over Conference League runners-up Rayo Vallecano in front of 14,557 supporters.
New signing Amadou Ba-Sy wasted no time making his mark, netting twice on his first appearance in maroon to send the home faithful into raptures.
The 6ft 3in French forward opened his account after just 19 minutes with a glancing header, then added a second 15 minutes later from a Christian Borchgrevink cross.
Ba-Sy arrived from FC Rouen in the third tier of French football last month but was almost immediately struck down by illness, losing six kilos over a couple of weeks according to manager Wouter Vrancken.
The performance will have given Vrancken enormous confidence ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League second qualifying round opener against Sturm Graz in Austria.
Vallecano, who reached a European final back in May, were not at full strength but did feature Etienne Eto’o, son of Barcelona icon Samuel Eto’o, in midfield.
Alexander Schwolow was kept busy in the early stages, making two sharp saves before Hearts took control through Ba-Sy’s clinical finishing in the first half.
Sergio Camello, the former Atletico Madrid forward, halved the deficit just after the hour mark when his deflected effort from 20 yards looped over Schwolow.
Vrancken used an extraordinary 24 squad members across the 90 minutes as Hearts managed the workload carefully with Graz firmly in mind.
The occasion was made even more emotional at half time when Craig Gordon appeared to bid a tearful farewell to the Tynecastle faithful, just 24 hours after confirming his retirement following a 24-year career at the top level.
Gordon revealed he plans to join supporters in the stands next season as he considers his next move, and it was an emotional moment that brought out the hankies across the ground.
Schwolow, who kept Gordon on the bench for most of last season, produced another fine display including a flying save to tip Pedro Diaz’s 25-yard free kick over the bar before half time.
The German goalkeeper is set to face Graz in what will likely be his final appearance for the club before joining Mainz on August 1, and his performance suggested his focus remains sharp.
Giant Dutch keeper Beau Reus was signed just ahead of kick off but will not feature in the Champions League squad list, having arrived too late for inclusion.
Ba-Sy also missed out on the 22-man Graz squad despite his impressive showing, with Vrancken confirming the forward had reached his fitness level too late for consideration.
Josh McPake, who delivered a series of dangerous crosses from the left in the first half, was also a surprise omission from the travelling squad along with MJ Kamson-Kamara.
Injured trio Craig Hackett, Ageu and Finlay Pollock also missed out, while Christian Borchgrevink impressed at right back with another solid 60-minute outing.
Whether Borchgrevink or Jordi Altena starts in Graz remains one of the key selection decisions Vrancken must make before Tuesday’s crucial qualifier.
Hearts are heading into the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in 20 years, and the signs from this performance suggest Vrancken’s high-energy, possession-based approach is beginning to take shape.
The willingness to play from the back brought some nervous moments, but also produced two outstanding first-half goals that underlined the exciting potential of this new-look side.
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