Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken was pleased with his team’s performance despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Trabzonspor.
Mohamed Salah’s penalty put the Turkish side 1-0 up at half-time. Into the second-half, the Egyptian forward combined with Franculino Djú, setting his strike partner up for a curling finish to clinch the victory. But Vrancken was pleased with his team’s mentality and desire to bounce back following their 7-1 defeat to Celtic at the weekend. “In the dressing room after the game, I said to them how proud I was of their performance,” said Vrancken. “Trabzonspor spent a lot of money in the summer and even got Mo Salah on a free transfer, so you know how much quality they have. “It’s just a pity that we couldn’t get a result because we didn’t give too much away. It’s a shame that we conceded a penalty.”The Hearts boss was full of praise for Rogers Mato. The Ugandan forward filled in at left-back and kept the Egyptian superstar largely quiet throughout the clash. “Mato on the left was unbelievable defensively,” Vrancken added. “He was up against one of the best players in Europe in his position. He wasn’t playing against anybody, he was playing against Mo Salah. He kept him out of the game so it was a really great performance from him.”