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Listen to Sportsound Hearts finish 25th, exiting Conference League on goals scored Edinburgh side needed Noah to score late equaliser against TSC to progress Platica slots Petrocub into lead after early Hearts pressure Wilson, 17, slots equaliser with nearly half an hour remaining Spittal heads quickfire second to put hosts in lead Mudrac slots penalty to equalise after Penrice hand ball Hearts playing their 100th European tie Teenagers Tait and Wilson given Hearts start along with Shankland Defender Agyemang replaces suspended midfielder Lungu for Petrocub Nick Mc Pheat Hearts 2-1 Petrocub Neil Critchley looks to his bench again and Yan Dhanda makes way for Kenneth Vargas. Hearts 2-1 Petrocub The delivery isn't great again and Petrocub survive. Hearts 2-1 Petrocub Hearts opt to take a free-kick quick and it sends Blair Spittal down the left. He wins a corner. Hearts 2-1 Petrocub First spell of pressure in a while from Petrocub. They need to come out of their rigid now. Hearts 2-1 Petrocub Hearts are now up to 18th! Blair Spittal They've turned it around! A Yan Dhanda cross can only be cleared as far as Blair Spittal, who heads home from about 12 yards. Hearts 1-1 Petrocub Two Hearts changes incoming as Jorge Grant and Malachi Boateng replace Craig Halkett and Macaulay Tait. Hearts 1-1 Petrocub Kye Rowles could have a hat-trick - and that's his worst miss yet! The Australia centre-back puts a header wide from a corner from just yards out. Another sitter. Hearts 1-1 Petrocub Okay, this is changing all the time but that goal means Hearts are set to progress. They are back up to 23rd! Hearts 1-1 Petrocub John Robertson Former Hearts striker on BBC Sportsound Shankland does brilliantly to hold it up, it falls for Wilson and he puts it away. They can't take their foot off the pedal now. James Wilson A big goal and a huge moment for the teenager! Lawrence Shankland takes the ball down brilliantly on his chest before he's tackled in the box, but young James Wilson is there to sweep home. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub Hearts scream for penalty as Blair Spittal is brought down. The home fans and players are certain it's a spot kick. The referee isn't. Play on. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub Allan Preston Former Hearts defender on BBC Sportsound Dreadful. Absolutely shocking. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub Yan Dhanda's deliveries have been off all night. Another deep free-kick is shelled straight out and behind for a goal kick. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub There's been more zip and intensity from Hearts in the past few minutes. They'll need to maintain this. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub The crowd are giving their team encouragement now as a spell of pressure ends with Yan Dhanda's deflected shot dropping into the hands of the keeper. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub A brave header from Kye Rowles drops just wide of the left-hand post. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub Vladimir

Ambros drives into the Hearts box, but he can't find a team-mate. The Petrocub captain has been dangerous tonight. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub It's also worth remembering that Petrocub are already eliminated. You wouldn't think that, though. They are desperate to win this. Hearts 0-1 Petrocub The corner is fired into the near post. But, again, Petrocub clear. This video can not be played 'Sunday was a red flag' for Hearts manager Neil Critchley Conference League: Heart of Midlothian v Petrocub Hincesti Venue: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh Date: Thursday, 19 December Kick-off: 20: 00 GMT Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Sounds & BBC Sport website & app Heart of Midlothian are preparing to play their 100th match in European football - and it could be one of the most consequential games in that century of fixtures. The task is simple, on paper. Beat Petrocub Hincesti - a team without a Conference League victory - at Tynecastle and Hearts will qualify for the play-off round in Europe's third-tier competition. It would be the first time the club have played in the latter stages of a continental competition since 1989, when they reached the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup. There is also the cash at stake for the club, about £500, 000 in prize money alone, should Neil Critchley's men get the win they need. And yet the excitement and buzz that should surround such a significant game has been strikingly absent. Hearts' dismal defeat by Kilmarnock on Sunday, when they failed to score while playing against 10 men for 90 minutes, has deflated the hype. The Edinburgh side are bottom of the Scottish Premiership after 17 games, with just three meagre wins to their name, and that has some whispering a relegation battle is now under way. Beating Moldova's Petrocub feels like a must, then, for its own sake - but also for the impact it could have on Hearts' league form at a pivotal point in the season. More news, views & analysis on Hearts Hearts boss Critchley 'stunned and shocked' by loss to 10-man Kilmarnock Anything less than a victory on Thursday would be deemed unacceptable by a lot of Hearts fans, but it does not mean it is the only way the club can qualify for the play-off round. A draw would take Hearts to seven points and give them a chance of staying above the elimination line, which is drawn after 24th place. Hearts are currently 23rd, with Istanbul Basaksehir a point behind in the final play-off berth. Even though there are seven teams behind Hearts and Basaksehir who could potentially also reach seven points, there are teams above, such as Mlada Boleslav and Omonia, who would slip back if they lose. The league is so tight it is pointless to predict who will end up where and, although very unlikely, in theory Hearts could progress even with a defeat. For the players, though, the message is simple. The only way to guarantee Hearts will be in the draw for the play-off round, which takes place on Friday at 12: 00 GMT in Nyon, is to win. Should they succeed, Hearts will know their opponents will be one of two teams. That is because Uefa has deployed a bracket system based on league position to incentivise finishing as high as possible. For example, if Hearts finish in 23rd place, they will face either the club finishing in ninth or 10th, with the draw determining which one. The seeded teams - those finishing from ninth to 16th - will play the second leg at home. Got it? How the Conference League stands Uefa have introduced a bracket system, with seedings based on league positions Hearts are missing Frankie Kent, Stephen Kingsley and Gerald Taylor while fellow defender Adam Forrester is suspended. It means the back four that started the defeat by Kilmarnock is likely to go again. Captain Lawrence Shankland is back from a ban and should return up front, while a late decision will be made on midfielder Beni Baningime, who has missed the past three games with a knee issue. Petrocub will be without experienced midfielder Teodor Lungu, who has scored one of their two goals in the competition, due to suspension. Petrocub were crowned champions of Moldova for the first time last season, when they went on a 19-game unbeaten run to end Sheriff's eight years of dominance. However, this term they are third in the league, 13 points behind Sheriff and on a run of just one win in six in all competitions. Playing in the main draw of a European competition for the first time, Petrocub have managed just one point from their five games and are already eliminated. In fact, it is harder to think of a more advantageous final game for Hearts than playing at home against a side with nothing but pride to play for, with just one away victory in their 14 attempts in European football, and with key midfielder Lungu suspended. However, there is still some reason to be cautious. Petrocub have shown they are learning at this level despite a callow squad mainly made up of Moldovan players. After losing 4-1 to Pafos, 2-0 to Jagiellonia and 3-0 to Rapid Vienna, a late equaliser secured a 1-1 draw with Basaksehir in Turkey and was followed up by a narrow 1-0 loss to La Liga side Real Betis a week ago. Manager Andrei Martin will bring his side to Tynecastle to sit deep and frustrate Hearts while looking to use their technical and speedy forwards to hit on the break. Captain Vladimir Ambros will lead the charge in that regard, but winger Dan Puscas is another with quality and his excellent skill and cross set up the equaliser in Turkey. Meanwhile, striker Marin Caruntu had another late leveller ruled out against Betis. The rest of the group is peppered with Moldova internationals. Last Updated 19th December 2024 at 22: 01 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Neil Critchley Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Andrei Martin Formation: 3 - 4 - 3 Manager: Neil Critchley Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Andrei Martin Formation: 3 - 4 - 3 UEFA Conference League All competitions © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.