Istanbul Basaksehir 3-1 Hearts: Fans end European campaign on song as Nathaniel Atkinson scores during defeat in Turkey

In a region which once produced gunpowder for the whole of Turkey, Istanbul Basaksehir were once again firing as Hearts’ Europa Conference League campaign concluded. A 3-1 defeat wasn’t entirely unexpected against Group A’s Pot 1 seeds and there was plenty time for reflection as the Edinburgh club’s charter flight jetted home on Thursday evening.
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The Basaksehir district was founded where the Azatli gunpowder house was established to meet Turkey’s needs during the Ottoman Empire. The local football team proved there is still plenty firepower around hundreds of years on. Although the 17,000-capacity Fatih Terim stadium was much less than half full, including more than 800 travelling fans, those in attendance saw the home team confirm progress to the Conference League knockout rounds despite Fiorentina’s comfortable win over RFS in Riga.

Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Serdar Gurler scored in the first half, with Berkay Ozcan adding a third following the interval. Nathaniel Atkinson struck a stoppage-time consolation goal for the visitors. After eight ties in total – two each against FC Zurich, Basaksehir, RFS and Fiorentina – Hearts’ European adventure is now over for this season. They have already made clear their intention to finish third in the Scottish Premiership again come May and give themselves another continental crack next term. There is much to digest and work on between now and then. Fans who did journey from Scotland were enthusiastic and vocal in backing their side through a largely difficult 90 minutes. They sang about “watching Gorgie on a Thursday night” with a sense of pride, as they have done across the Continent since August. They will hope for an encore next year as much as anyone.

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There was a sense of inevitability about this game long before anyone from Edinburgh touched down in the sprawling metropolis that is Istanbul. Hearts knew they could not qualify for the next stage of the Conference League and were therefore on a hiding to nothing. A 4-0 victory for the Turkish club at Tynecastle Park in September ensured they were overwhelming favourites on their own turf. Emre Belozoglu, the Basaksehir coach, demanded full motivation from his players as they strove to finish top of Group A and thus avoid a play-off round before the last 16. An attack-minded team including first-choice attackers Bertrand Traore and Stefano Okaka did not disappoint him in the end.

The Hearts manager Robbie Neilson used this trip to give younger squad members Connor Smith and Euan Henderson their first European starts, leaving more established names like Lawrence Shankland and Barrie McKay among the substitutes. Players and staff kept watches on UK time and stuck to their normal eating schedule throughout this stay in Turkey. The entire Conference League experience would certainly have given the likes of Smith, Henderson and teenage substitute Finlay Pollock a vital insight into pre-match preparations for UEFA ties.

The experience after kick-off on this occasion wasn’t so enjoyable. Basaksehir took the lead on four minutes with a textbook header from a corner kick, Deniz Turuc’s delivery inviting Ndayishimiye to rise unchallenged and nod the ball beyond Craig Gordon from a few yards. It was the worst start possible for the goalkeeper as he equalled Hearts’ European appearance record with a 22nd competitive game for the club against foreign opposition.

Henderson could not connect properly with Alex Cochrane’s cross as the visitors tried for a quick equaliser. They settled despite the early concession and made some forward probes at the Basaksehir defence. That rattled the home players slightly, who then began charging into needless tackles and conceding some silly fouls. All of which fuelled the encouragement within Neilson’s side – until the second goal arrived on 33 minutes. Leo Duarte’s long diagonal ball from defence was chased by Okaka and Gordon raced outside his penalty area to slide in on the forward. He didn’t win possession, Gurler collected and composed himself to tuck a neat low finish into the net as Hearts defenders tried to recover.

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Gordon repelled two Traore shots at his near post, but Hearts were now working on damage limitation whilst trying to combat the sheer brute strength of Okaka. They needed to retain possession better when they had it. Defender Michael Smith played on the right of a three-man defence in the first half but did not appear for the second. Andy Halliday took over after some reorganisation. Hearts supporters continued singing to back their team as Basaksehir moved the ball around hoping to create an opening for a third goal. Ndayishimiye should perhaps have scored it instead of sending a diving header wide from a corner on 56 minutes.

Hearts striker Euan Henderson, right, tussles with Basaksehir's Ahmed Touba in Turkey. Pic: APHearts striker Euan Henderson, right, tussles with Basaksehir's Ahmed Touba in Turkey. Pic: AP
Hearts striker Euan Henderson, right, tussles with Basaksehir's Ahmed Touba in Turkey. Pic: AP

It transpired soon enough. Literally seconds after both players entered the field as substitutes, Omer Ali Sahiner galloped forward to supply a low cross from the right, and Ozcan made space to steer the ball past Gordon from around ten yards. Three was enough for Basaksehir, although the closing stages became somewhat tetchy as several individual battles all over the pitch threatened to spill over. Georgian referee Goga Kikacheishvili was never far away with a yellow card to restore order.

The evening finished with Hearts supporters’ singing echoing into the north-western Istanbul air. Atkinson converted a rebound after Shankland’s shot was parried into his path by the Basaksehir goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer. The goal owed much to Pollock's impact with determined work in the build-up as he supplied Shankland for the initial effort. It was at least a bright note on which Hearts could conclude their Conference League adventure.

Istanbul Basaksehir (4-3-3): M Sengezer; Caicara (Sahiner 63), Duarte, T Sengezer, Kaldirim; Turuc, Ndayishimiye (Ozbayrakli 86), Aleksic; Traore (Ozcan 63), Okaka (Szysz 72), Gurler (Choular 72).

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Hearts (3-5-1-1): Gordon; M Smith (Halliday 46), Sibbick, Neilson; Atkinson, C Smith (McKay 63), Devlin, Grant (Pollock 81), Cochrane; Forrest (Shankland 63); Henderson (Ginnelly 63).

Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)

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