Hearts secured their place in this season's Conference League with a gripping penalty shootout victory over Rapid Vienna, and the Edinburgh club wasted no time reminding rivals Celtic of their contrasting fortunes in European competition this week.
Just a day after Celtic suffered a stunning collapse against Austrian side LASK in Champions League qualifying, Hearts fought back from a red card to eliminate Rapid Vienna and advance in the Conference League play-off round. The Scottish side posted a pointed message on social media following their win, stating: "Winning play-offs in Austria isn't for everyone..." — an unmistakable dig at Celtic's European exit.
Hearts had drawn 2-2 with Rapid at Tynecastle in the first leg, and their task in Austria grew tougher when midfielder Tomas Magnusson was shown a second yellow card, leaving his side to play the majority of the match with ten men. Rapid took the lead through Ercan Kara before the break, putting Hearts on the brink of elimination.
But Wouter Vrancken's side found a way back. Landry Kabore leveled the score to push the tie into extra time, and Calvin Miller then struck a spectacular volley in the 100th minute to give Hearts the advantage. Rapid, however, refused to go down quietly, with Nenad Cvetkovic scoring deep into extra time to make it 4-4 on aggregate and force a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus proved decisive, saving two penalties to send his side through. The result marks the third time in five seasons that Hearts have qualified for the Conference League, continuing a run of consistent European involvement for the Edinburgh club despite tough exits from higher-tier competitions earlier in the campaign — including a heavy defeat to Sturm Graz in Champions League qualifying and a 7-2 aggregate loss to Benfica in Europa League qualifying.
The timing of Hearts' triumph made their social media jibe all the more cutting. Celtic, who edged out Hearts for the Premiership title on the final day of last season, suffered one of the most dramatic European collapses in recent memory just 24 hours earlier. Callum McGregor's side had raced into a commanding 4-0 aggregate lead against LASK in Austria's Champions League play-off, with the captain himself scoring from 18 yards in the 21st minute of the second leg. Yet Celtic imploded thereafter, ultimately losing 5-1 on the night after extra time and crashing out 5-4 on aggregate.
The defeat means Celtic will instead compete in the Europa League this season, but the financial consequences of missing out on the Champions League group stage are severe, with the club facing a shortfall estimated at £20 million.
Speaking candidly after the game, McGregor took responsibility for his side's capitulation.