Angry Hearts fume at red cards

Hearts head coach Valdas Ivanauskas will watch tomorrow’s UEFA Cup draw still nursing a sense of injustice after the Edinburgh side’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of AEK Athens.

Hearts had Julien Brellier and Neil McCann sent off as they lost 3-0, 5-1 on aggregate, in the Greek capital in the final qualifying round.

The Tynecastle outfit have the consolation of a place in the UEFA Cup, but Hearts boss Valdas Ivanauskas raged against both red cards, particularly the 30th-minute dismissal of Brellier.

The Frenchman received his first booking for failing to re-tape an earring, while his second yellow was for an aerial challenge on AEK midfielder Vladan Ivic.

With his side already 2-1 down from the first leg at Murrayfield, Ivanauskas believes the decisions cost his side any chance of a comeback.

He said: “It was unbelievable and I can’t believe that they do these things in such important games.”

Initially confusion surrounded Brellier’s first booking but Ivanauskas confirmed it was because of tape on an earring.

However, the clearly angry Hearts boss maintains the Russian match official had checked the players before the game and given them the green light to play.

Ivanauskas added: “Yes, Brellier was booked because he was wearing an earring. But the referee checked every player before and said they were okay to play with tape, so why he booked him I do not know.

“And the second yellow card for Brellier was not a foul. It would not be even possible to give this foul in a game of basketball, which is a minimal contact sport.”

Ivanauskas also claimed McCann should not have seen red for his tackle on Ivic midway through the second half.

He said: “What can I say? It is not a red card for me. The game was over after 28 minutes anyway but this was a normal football game and McCann’s tackle was simply a normal foul. The ref says it is red. I have my own opinions but I cannot really say them."

After McCann’s dismissal, Hearts – who had kept the second leg scoreless while rarely threatening to score the two goals they needed as a minimum to win the tie – fell apart.

AEK man of the match Julio Cesar scored twice in the last 11 minutes, one from the penalty spot in the 79th minute after Deividas Cesnauskis had felled Vasilis Lakis in the right side of the penalty area, and another a fine side-footed strike from just inside the penalty area.

Striker Nikos Liberopoulos, who had passed up a series of chances, finally found the net with eight minutes remaining to head home AEK’s second goal from a Nikos Georgeas cross.

Hearts go into the draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup alongside fellow Scots Rangers.