Heart of Midlothian suffered European heartbreak against Viktoria Plzen in the first leg of the Europa League play-off round.

Steven Naismith's men delivered a measured performance in front of 10,500 fans at the Doosan Arena and were on the verge of taking a positive result back to Edinburgh for the second leg when Daniel Oyegoke turned a cross into his own net deep into stoppage time.

Joel Sked looks back at what was close to a very good night for Hearts:

In the tie

Hearts head back to Tynecastle Park with the tie in the balance, despite the late goal. Hearts started positively, Cammy Devlin pushing high up to join Lawrence Shankland and Kenneth Vargas in stopping Plzen from having easy possession. When Hearts got the ball they kept it. The dynamic of the game began to change and Hearts were, at times, their own worst enemy when handing the home side the opportunity to attack. Daniel Vasulin's aerial strengths were troubling and the team had a hard time keeping track of Pavel Sulc. Yet, it was Hearts who finished the game stronger, Shankland being denied by Marian Tvrdon twice. The second half was an even affiar where the tension grew and grew. There was an ebb and flow but no team truly stake a claim for the win until the match entered the final stages of stoppage time. A tantaslising cross from the right was put past Craig Gordon by Oyegoke's knee as he came under pressure at the back post. In the end, it was a hugely disappointing finale but it's all to play for at Tynecastle Park.

Standing up after faltering

The message after the loss to Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup was about putting the poor result right. Hearts did that in Czechia. It was, over the piece, a measured and mature performance. Steven Naismith spoke ahead of the game about experience on the European stage. Six of the starting XI have been at the club for the last two European campaigns. Two others were here last season. The performance suggested they have grown. They had a shape and a game plan. And they stuck to it. There were question marks about the return to the back three but in terms of out of possession, it worked. The defensive three, as a collective, were very good. If Frankie Kent didn't win a duel with the towering Daniel Vasulin, Stephen Kingsley and Kye Rowles were behind him. And vice versa. There was also a streetwise quality to the team. Slowing the game down, taking their time over throw-ins, winning fouls, receiving treatment or making good tactical fouls while knowing the referee was going to be happy to dish out the yellow card. It also comes down to battling qualities. Craig Gordon mentioned after the Falkirk game that the team needed to stick together and fight for one another. They did that. The commitment, the energy, the attitude were spot on. There was a moment in the second half when Rowles went to engage Vasulin but was rolled. He stuck with the striker and eventually got back into position to divert a cross for a corner. Kingsley was there congratulating him. Or later on. Pavel Sulc got space in the box, fired a shot at goal but Kingsley was in the road. Cammy Devlin and Kent were straight over to him. It was a team effort.

Gordon's big night

Craig Gordon's European debut for Hearts arrived in the southwest of France as Craig Levein's side produced a stunning backs-against-the-wall performance to walk away from wine country with a 1-0 win thanks to a Mark de Vries strike and a fine goalkeeping performance. Nearly 21 years later and nearly 1,500km east he collected his 23rd European appearance, becoming a history maker, and demonstrated he is still aging like a fine wine with a solid performance. He was called upon early in the first half. Plzen left-back Milan Havel lost Gerald Taylor at the back post and headed an effort down toward the goal. Gordon was equal to it, beating it away with confidence. In the second half he showed his quality at stopping shots with his feet, getting his leg down to deny Lukas Kalvach. More than just the shot-stopping, he brought plenty of experience. Plucking high balls into the box and also taking his time over goal kicks, slowing the game down and frustrating the home crowd. He was left helpless with the winner.

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Malachi the maestro

Of the nine signings made by Hearts this summer, Malachi Boateng's arrival was down the list in terms of fanfare. It's not to take away from his quality or the need for a player like him in the team but he is a No.6 and spent last season at Dundee. He didn't have the attacking productivity of Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda last season. There wasn't the exoticism of Gerlad Taylor and Andres Salazar. Yet, he has impressed in his three performances so far. His most notable arrived in Plzen. There is a stealth to the way he players. Everything is clean and crisp. Nothing is superfluous. But you begin totting up the number of times he has positively influenced the game and it is easy to lose count. He patrolled at the base of the Hearts midfield, shifting across to close down, intercept or get in the road. He is one of those individuals who appear to always be in the right position. On the ball, he takes care of it. There was a moment in the second half when Jorge Grant fed him the ball. Boateng was preparing to open his body and keep it moving but then he was pressured. He shifted his way, protected it and kept it. Hugely important qualities on the European stage.

The next step

This is a winnable tie. Hearts should be looking at the Europa League more closely. Viktoria Plzen's manager and playmaker spoke in the build-up about the Tynecastle Park atmosphere and why the away leg will be tricky. If you were to be greedy you could suggest Hearts could have taken a lead back to Edinburgh. They had chances through Lawrence Shankland. But it was more about the use of the ball. That's the next area where the team can make positive strides. There were moments in the game where a pass was rushed or poor decision-making let the team down. It might have been one player coming short for a pass and the man on the ball going longer. Kenneth Vargas was a constant threat but a lot of positive runs fizzled out. At Tynecastle Hearts will look to assert more control. But there should also be an element of chaos. The Tynecastle crowd thrives when there is some chaos. Especially on a European night under the lights of Gorgie.