HEARTS got off to a losing start in the Conference League group stages at Tynecastle this evening when they crashed to a 4-0 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir of Turkey.

Robbie Neilson’s team performed well in the first-half of their opening Group A match, but they were unable to beat Muhammed Sengezer and paid the price for their lack of a cutting edge up front.

Hasan Ali Kaldirm put the Super Lig outfit ahead with a stunning strike in the first-half and Youssouf Ndayishimye, Stefano Okaka and Berkay Ozcan piled on the misery for the Premiership team after half-time.

It was not as heavy a home loss as the one Hearts suffered at the hands of Spurs in the Europa League play-off back in 2011 when they conceded five goals – but it was a wretched evening for Craig Gordon and his team mates and the 15,131 crowd qwent home disappointed.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced by Buckingham Palace just before half-time and both teams observed a minute’s silence in the centre circle before the second-half got underway.

There were a couple of unfortunate shouts from the crowd and an importu chorus of God Save The Queen broke out in the stands in a clear attempt by some to drown out the idiots who were unable to remain quiet for 60 seconds. They in turn were booed by those who thought they were  being disrespectful. It was all highly regrettable. 

Mesut Ozil, the former Real Madrid, Arsenal and Germany playmaker, and Nacer Chadli, the ex-Spurs and current Belgium winger, were both missing from the visitors’ squad due to injury.

Neilson had joked that he would have to put four men on Ozil to stop him running riot after Hearts were drawn alongside Basaksehir last month.

But the players who Emre Belozoglu did have at his disposal looked every bit as good as their celebrated club mates when proceedings for underway. They built play patiently from the back without creating any clear cut chances which they should have converted.  

Hearts withstood the early pressure and began to assert themselves. Andy Halliday failed to shoot early enough after being sent through on goal by Alan Forrest and was disposed by Ahmed Touba. Lawrence Shankland just failed to get on the end of a Barrie McKay through ball.

Craig Gordon kept the score level with saves from Danijel Aleksic and Leo Duarte headers in the space of two minutes. The latter stopped the hosts from edging ahead soon after when Michael Smith floated a high diagonal cross to Stephen Kingsley.

The ball fell to Peter Haring a few yards out and the midfielder nodded towards the net only for the defender to clear.

Haring, having come so close to opening the scoring, was the villain just two minutes later when he dallied too long on the ball on the edge of his penalty box and lost possession. It was played wide to Kaldirm. The left back rifled into the top right corner.

Hearts lacked the same quality in the final third. They had their opportunities, but they failed to take advantage of them. It was like watching a re-run of their Europa League play-off second leg encounter with Zurich a fortnight ago. Shankland went for goal when he had Forrest in space just outside him and Touba blocked his effort.

Basaksehir were far more composed. Only Gordon prevented them from forging further ahead in the first-half. He denied Bertrand Traore and then Aleksic after a counter attack was launched by the imposing Okaka in the centre of the park.  

Touba was fortunate only to pick up a yellow card Polish referee Krzystof Jakubik for a challenge on Haring nine minutes before half-time. Both men received medical attention following a reckless high challenge on the halfway line.

Haring failed to reappear for the second-half and his place was talken by Stephen Humphrys. Josh Ginnelly also took over from Forrest. But Hearts continued to live dangerously.

Traore struck the crossbar after being supplied by Okaka and Serdar Gurler went close after more defensive dithering from Nathan Atkinson. The second goal in the 67th minute was very much with the run of play. But nobody in the home team will enjoy watching a replay. Substitute Ndayishimye was unmarked as a Deniz Turuc corner came across and unchallenged as he stooped and headed it in the net.

The third was not much better. Okaka, the former Italian internationalist, is a powerful physical specimen. But he was allowed to barge his way past three Hearts players and into the area before he beat Gordon. Berkay Ozcan made it four with eight minutes left after his shot took a wicked deflection.