It was a shaky start to Hearts’ Europa Conference League campaign but head coach Frankie McAvoy will be feeling encouraged ahead of the second leg at Tynecastle next week.
Rosenborg hold a narrow 2-1 lead after a couple of individual errors gave the hosts a two-goal advantage going into the break at the Lerkendal Stadion before Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland handed the visitors a lifeline by heading home to half the deficit.
Here are four talking points from an intriguing encounter in Trondheim.
No win but no need to panic
The capital club weren’t at their best against Rosenborg and the final score of 2-1 was probably fair on the balance of play. Two sloppy first-half goals put the Norwegians in the driving seat – both in the tie and on the night – and allowed the hosts to sit deep during the second half and wait to pick off the Scots on the counter.
There would be no third goal that would all but kill the tie but at the other end, Lawrence Shankland reduced the arrears to claw his side back into the tie. There were promising passages of play, particularly down the right-hand side, but the final ball would never arrive. On the one occasion when substitute Stephen Kingsley whipped in an inviting ball, Shankland gleefully steered the ball home to mark his 28th birthday in memorable fashion.
The bad news is that Hearts require a victory next week if their European campaign is to get off the ground this term. But the upside is that although Rosenborg were worthy winners in Trondheim, it was hard to escape the feeling that Hearts are capable of so much more, particularly with a sold-out Tynecastle roaring the players on. The Edinburgh side may well be down, but they are certainly not out.
Baningime back
This was the former Everton midfielder’s first start for Hearts since March 2022 after an ACL injury ruled him out for the entirety of last season, and the 24-year-old unfortunately looked like a player who had barely kicked a ball in that time.
Baningime received a warm welcome from the Hearts support when he clambered off the bench against St Johnstone at the weekend to make his first appearance in over a year didn’t look out of place on that occasion. The Europa Conference League is an altogether different prospect, though, and Baningame was understandably off the pace.
The Congolese player struck up a fruitful partnership with Cammy Devlin before the ACL injury but the pair weren’t at their best in Norway. Rosenborg were always going to dominate possession and in Devlin and Baningime, the thinking went, Hearts had two effective ball-winners in midfield to stifle their opponents.
That eagerness would prove costly early on for Hearts, however. Devlin found himself in the book for a full-blooded tackle on 13 minutes – although a booking was perhaps a little harsh – and the away side temporarily switched off as Rosenborg restarted the game quickly. The ball was shifted out to the hosts’ left flank as Sverre Halseth Nypan drove menacingly down the wing, beating Baningime with ease before crossing for Emil Frederiksen to head home at the back post.
It would get worse on the cusp of half-time. Baningime was cheaply robbed of the ball by Nypan in the Rosenborg half and went haring after his opponent to no avail. Nypan stripped away as he drove into the Hearts box, coolly sliding the ball across to the impressive Jayden Nelson to apply the finishing touch. When the players came back out for the second half, Baningame had been replaced by Peter Haring.
Hearts supporters won’t need reminded of how effective Baningime and Devlin can be – but it may take a little time before their partnership falls back into groove.
Lowry gets first start
The Rangers loanee changed the game when he came on for the last half-hour or so against Saints, so it was little surprise to see the playmaker handed his first start for Hearts against Rosenborg. Lowry’s composure on the ball and ability to unpick a defence made the difference at McDiarmid Park, but he was unable to replicate that performance against Rosenborg.
Lowry worked hard off the ball but struggled to make an impact on it. There was no shortage of endeavour from the Scotland Under-21 internationalist but he simply didn’t see enough of the ball. And on the rare occasions that he did, he was quickly reminded that you don’t get much time on the ball in Europe before an opponent starts breathing down your neck.
Lowry was on set-pieces for the visitors but failed to make any of them count, although the midfielder could have won his side a penalty after he was brought down in the Rosenborg box by goalkeeper Andre Hansen. The referee judged that Lowry had lost control of the ball and was unmoved, but you’ve seen them given. Then, with around half an hour to go, he made way for Jorge Grant as head coach Frankie McAvoy shuffled the deck.
Best still to come for Hearts
The Edinburgh club ended up on the losing side in Norway but supporters should not be too disheartened as the team will only go from strength to strength in the coming weeks. Rosenborg, midway through their domestic campaign and fully match-fit, were always going to provide a stern examination at this early stage of the Scottish season where so little competitive football has been played.
There is comfort to be drawn, too, from the fact that the team itself will be in better shape for next week’s return leg in Gorgie. Summer signings Kenneth Vargas, Kyosuke Tagawa and Calem Nieuwenhof were unable to fly to Norway due to work permit restrictions but the latter two players will be in contention for the reverse fixture.
Both Nieuwenhof and Tagawa have shown glimpses of quality during their brief time at the club thus far and even if they are not in the starting line-up, both offer a useful alternative from the bench should the game require some fresh impetus. Vargas, meanwhile, has a little more red tape to overcome but could yet find himself in the squad next week.
A few more options can make a big difference at this stage of the campaign where players are still getting up to speed – and they could just make the difference in the second leg at Tynecastle.
