FC Thun claimed their first Conference League win of the season in emphatic style, beating Hearts 3-1 in Switzerland as an own goal from Jamie McCart, a Brighton Labeau strike and a second-half finish from Furkan Dursun punished a poor defensive night for the Scottish side, with Stuart Findlay's late header no more than consolation.
Hearts arrived on matchday three still looking for a first win after drawing with Nordsjaelland and losing away to Trabzonspor, while Thun had lost both of their opening games. By the end of a chaotic evening that began with a long smoke delay, it was the Swiss champions who had their campaign alive and Hearts who were left with one point from three games and serious questions at the back.
Two gifts before half-time put Thun in charge
The match had barely started when it was stopped for around eight minutes, with smoke from pyrotechnics in the home end drifting across the pitch and forcing both teams to wait for it to clear. Nine minutes were added at the end of the first half as a result, but the delay did nothing to sharpen Hearts, who handed Thun the lead on 22 minutes when McCart turned the ball into his own net.
Twelve minutes later it was 2-0, and again Hearts contributed to their own downfall. The TNT Sports live coverage described Nils Reichmuth running down the right and pulling the ball back, with Stephen Kingsley only helping it into the path of Labeau, who side-footed home gleefully. The full Sky Sports match commentary recorded the same goal as a left-footed finish from the centre of the box following a fast break. Either way, the defending was far too soft for this level.
Hearts' frustration deepened just before the interval when Dursun caught Findlay in the face with a forearm as the defender positioned himself to challenge for a high ball. The Thun forward was shown only a yellow card, with no VAR intervention, a decision pundits on the broadcast called scandalous and a clear red card offence. It would matter, because the player who might have been sent off scored the goal that settled the game.
Dursun makes it three before Findlay's consolation
Thun's third arrived on 56 minutes. Reichmuth's cross following a corner found Dursun, who finished right-footed from the left side of the six-yard box, with the goal confirmed after a VAR review. At 3-0 the contest was effectively over, even if Hearts kept pushing in numbers.
The visitors' night got worse on 63 minutes when Kingsley was forced off injured and replaced by Matthew Gillies, adding an injury to an already damaging defeat. Josh McPake had tested Niklas Steffen earlier and Malachi Fagan-Walcott saw a header saved, but Hearts rarely looked like a side about to mount a comeback.
They did at least finish with something. On 82 minutes Findlay rose to head home Jordi Altena's cross following a set piece, reducing the deficit to 3-1 and giving the travelling supporters a brief moment to cheer. It was, though, the defender atoning in the wrong penalty area on a night when Hearts' problems were all in their own box. The final numbers told a balanced story in possession and shots, but Thun were ruthless with the chances Hearts presented to them and the visitors were not.
So what does this mean for Hearts and Thun?
For Thun, this is lift-off. After defeats by Twente and Hajduk Split, a first win and first three points move them right back into the fight for a play-off place, and doing it with goals from both starting forwards will lift a side that had struggled since winning their first Swiss title last season. Labeau, their record signing, delivered exactly the kind of penalty-box moment he was bought for, while Reichmuth's two assists underlined his threat from wide areas.
For Hearts and head coach Wouter Vrancken, the picture is far bleaker. One point from three games leaves them needing a rapid turnaround, starting at home to Monaco later this month, and the manner of the goals will hurt most: an own goal, a second conceded through weak defending, and a third scored by a forward many felt should no longer have been on the pitch. Add Kingsley's injury to a lengthy absentee list and this was close to a worst-case European away night. The Hearts Standard live report summed it up as poor goals conceded and another injury, and it is hard to argue.
Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: Thun deserved this win because they punished every mistake, but Hearts beat themselves in Switzerland — defend like that in Europe and the scoreline is only ever going one way. Was Dursun lucky to still be on the pitch to score the third, and can Hearts still rescue this campaign? Let us know what you think in the comments.
