Heart of Midlothian marked their 140th anniversary at Tynecastle Park with a 2–1 win over La Liga side Rayo Vallecano.
Debutant Amadou Ba-Sy was the star of the show, netting twice in an impressive first-half display.
The Jambos imposed themselves from the start, despite an early scare when Alex Schwolow's sharp block denied Etienne Eto’o a goal within the first five minutes. Stephen Kingsley was pivotal in the early pressure, creating opportunities and causing problems for the defence.
Ba-Sy, after missing a chance on 14 minutes, redeemed himself with a precise header following a slick passing move. The French forward scored again before half-time, meeting Christian Borchgrevink's delivery with a powerful header to double the lead.
Hearts' attacking intent was evident, as they continued to threaten the Vallecano defence. MJ Kamson-Kamara hit the crossbar, and Claudio Braga forced a save from Daniel Cardenas.
The Jambos maintained their two-goal lead at the break, thanks to Schwolow's stunning fingertip save denying Pedro Diaz’s curling free-kick. Four half-time changes slightly disrupted Hearts' rhythm, but they remained a threat.
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Substitute Sabri Guendouz injected energy into the attack and created an opening for Rogers Mato, though his effort lacked conviction.
Rayo Vallecano grew into the contest after the restart and pulled a goal back on the hour mark when Sergio Camello’s strike took a heavy deflection and looped over Schwolow.
Hearts continued to create chances, with Alexandros Kyzridis going close after a neat exchange with Tomas Magnusson, while Borchgrevink also teed up Magnusson, who fired over from distance.
Vallecano pushed for an equaliser late on, but the Jambos stood firm and looked the more composed side throughout, sealing a deserved victory against high-quality opposition.
The result provides a timely boost ahead of next week’s Champions League qualifier away to Sturm Graz, with Ba-Sy’s debut performance offering particular encouragement for the campaign ahead.
