Hearts secured their place in Friday's Conference League league phase draw after outlasting Rapid Vienna 4-3 on penalties in a dramatic play-off second leg in Austria, following a 2-2 draw from the first leg in Edinburgh.
The victory represents a significant early-season milestone for Wouter Vrancken's side, arriving just over three months after Hearts missed out on a first Scottish top-flight title in 66 years on the final day of last season. It also comes after a difficult start to the current campaign, which included heavy European exits to Sturm Graz (6-0 on aggregate in Champions League qualifying) and Benfica (7-1 on aggregate in Europa League qualifying), as well as domestic setbacks including a loss to champions Celtic and a defeat at Aberdeen.
In Vienna, Rapid took the lead through Ercan Kara before Hearts suffered a further setback when Tomas Magnusson was sent off. Despite playing with ten men, Hearts fought back through Pierre Landry Kabore's equalizer to force extra time. Calvin Miller then thought he had won it with a volley, only for Rapid's Nenad Cvetkovic to level again deep into the additional period, sending the tie to penalties.
Goalkeeper Beau Reus proved decisive in the shootout, saving Moulaye Haidara's attempt before Rapid's own goalkeeper denied Oisin McEntee to keep the tension alive. Former Celtic winger Marco Tilio then converted for Hearts, before Reus made another crucial save to complete a 4-3 shootout win and send Hearts through 6-5 on aggregate across regulation, extra time, and penalties.
Vrancken, who took charge over the summer amid a wave of squad turnover — 12 new signings arriving alongside a similar number of departures — praised his players' resilience and growth despite an underwhelming first half in Austria.
"When you see the game, we played a really bad first half, a little bit similar as we did in Benfica," Vrancken said. "We made agreements, we had a game plan and we didn't follow up, we didn't show the guts to follow up. When you play against a side like Rapid Vienna, when you don't show it, they can play through you. We were already pretty angry at half-time and we came out, we did much better. We took the game in our hands, we were dominant at that moment. This is already a mental strength, coming back on 1-0 down and coming back like this."
The Belgian added that his players showed strong mental fortitude to fight back again after conceding late in extra time. "Again, in the extra time, you try to take the game with you to Hearts and to Edinburgh, then you get a mental kick again in the last minute of the extra time," he said. "Again, I'm so proud of these guys that they stay in the game, focused and concentrated to win the penalties. We can make more steps in the coming weeks and hope that we can take the steps as soon as possible."
Vrancken also spoke of his players' broader development under his management, noting that fear of taking risks had previously held the team back in away fixtures in Europe. "They have to learn that they're a good team, that they're good players, that they can show it," he said, adding that he had been impressed by the squad's attitude and team spirit since his arrival.
The result guarantees Hearts at least two more European fixtures each in October, November and December. However, the win was tempered by a first-half injury to midfielder Tom Renaud, which Vrancken described as "the biggest disappointment of the evening," adding that its severity remained unclear.
With at least six additional European matches now on the horizon alongside domestic commitments, former Hearts players Ryan Stevenson and Allan Preston have suggested the club may look to strengthen the squad further before the transfer window closes, with Preston indicating Hearts already have contingency plans in place should reinforcements be required.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Scotland.