Neil Critchley insisted Hearts did not deserve to lose after they dropped their first Conference League points in a 2-0 defeat at home to Bundesliga side Heidenheim.
The Edinburgh outfit, who had won their first two games in the competition, were on top in the first half and spurned a host of chances to get themselves in front.
However, the Germans gained the upper hand after the break and broke the deadlock in the 57th minute through Sirlord Conteh before Jan Schoppner sealed their win in the last minute.
“You have to score when you’re on top,” said Critchley. “You have to take those chances. We weren’t clinical in front of goal, and then we’ve got punished by two real moments of quality, the first goal in particular.
“I’m disappointed with the result but not the performance. I thought we played just equally as well tonight as we did against Omonia. We just didn’t score when we were on top.
“If we had taken our chances, then I think the game was there for us to win. I thought the attitude of the players and mentality was good. We went right to the end. I’m just disappointed.
“Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. And I don’t think we got what we deserved tonight.
“We played against good opposition. We went toe-to-toe in a real good competitive game, European game, good atmosphere, and, unfortunately, we’ve come out the wrong side tonight.”
Hearts are currently 12th in the 36-team Conference League table and, with a trip to Cercle Brugge next up in three weeks, remain on course to stay in the competition beyond Christmas.
“Yeah, I think we’re pretty well placed,” he said. “Winning tonight would have helped, but if we keep producing that level of performance, then we’ll win games of football.
“The test for us is to keep showing that mentality, keep showing the same attitude, keep showing the ability that we showed on the ball as well.
“We produced some really good moves, good moments. The only thing missing tonight was the final bit.”
Heidenheim have won all three of their matches ahead of their visit from Chelsea in four weeks. Manager Frank Schmidt said: “It was a difficult first half, so well done to Hearts for that.
“They made it really difficult for us. Hearts played very well.
“They really put us under pressure. I also think after a couple of less-than-ideal results, our confidence was not so high.
“We managed to get more involved in the second half, we were defensively strong and more clinical in attack.”
Team AnalysisVietnam The two-legged finals include home and away games. Vietnam will be at home first, and they hope to grab the advantage in goal difference, with strong morale.Vietnamese naturalized forward Nguyen Xuan Son scored twice in the last game. He made his first cap for Vietnam in this ASEAN Championship, giving 5 goals and 2 assists in his three starting games so far, and he is leading...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Epl week 19 LOL When you spot it Show yourselves. Next match: Supercoppa Italiana Semi-Final: Juventus FC vs AC Milan. Cristiano Ronaldo has Scored 97 GOALS since the start of 2023! Bro Traveled with his Mom all the way from Mongolia to Old Trafford.. ... only to watch Manchester United drop another stinker and lose again. Gotta feel for him and all the Manchest...
Amorim admits Man Utd will NOT have money to spend in JanuaryRuben Amorim has revealed Manchester United will not have money to spend in the January transfer window despite the need for new signings.Speaking candidly to reporters on Monday night about the possibility of January transfers, Amorim stated, "We don't have that possibility in January. You know the situation better than I [do]. It's not...
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has been called out by Jamie Carragher after claiming he encouraged Real Madrid to submit a bid for him in January.The Reds have reportedly turned down an attempt from Real Madrid to secure the services of the right-back in the January transfer window.Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has been called out by Jamie CarragherAlexander-Arnold will be free to n...
Man United star Antony could leave the Premier League club during the January transfer window, and the winger may be offered a way out by a La Liga team. The agent of Antony admitted that several clubs have made approaches for the Brazilian ahead of the January window as the 24-year-old looks for a way out of Old Trafford having fallen out of favour in Manchester.Ruben Amorim vowed to help Antony ...
Barcelona could lose Dani Olmo for the second half of the season after LaLiga said the Catalan club are not in a position to extend the Spain international's registration ahead of Tuesday's deadline.Olmo, 26, joined Barca in the summer and was granted a temporary registration until Dec. 31, giving Barca time to comply with the league's financial fair play rules and prolong his registration until t...
Newcastle's Trippier to be sold in JanuaryNewcastle United could sell Kieran Trippier with a January move abroad on the cards, three years after he first joined the club.Williams and Isak headline Arsenal shortlistNico Williams and Alexander Isak are both under consideration as Arsenal aim to sign a wide forward in January.Could Spurs cancel Werner's loan?Tottenham could cancel Timo Werner's loan ...
Team AnalysisBrentfordBrentford scored 12 goals in the last 5 home games with a great offense.Brentford ended 3 of the last 4 games with UNDER. The percentage of UNDER has rebounded.Brentford are seriously hit by injuries so far. Major goalkeeper Mark Flekken and defender Ben Mee are doubtful with injuries, while Sepp van den Berg and Ethan Pinnock are unavailable with injuries.Brentford drew 0-0 ...
Christopher Nkunku and Mikel Arteta (Photo by Alex Grimm, Julian Finney/Getty Images)Christopher Nkunku remains eager to leave Chelsea in the forthcoming January transfer window, sources have told CaughtOffside.The French attacker has been delegated a role in the club’s ‘B Team’ this campaign, leaving him frustrated. He has only featured in 326 minutes of Premier League action so...
Martin Zubimendi with the Spain national team.The 2024/25 campaign has not gone to plan for Man City and in order to salvage what they can of the season, the Premier League champions are looking to bring Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to the Etihad. Pep Guardiola is currently facing a crisis that he has never experienced before in his managerial career as the Spaniard’s team sit fift...
