Heart of Midlothian’s 1-0 defeat in Czechia on Thursday night will have been a frustrating one for supporters. Those who made the journey will have done so knowing that the chances of seeing a victory were slim – only Europe’s very heaviest hitters seem to be able to win at the Doosan Arena – and many would have snapped your hand off for a 1-0 loss before a ball was kicked.

Yet, it didn’t take long to establish that Viktoria Plzen weren’t exactly all they were cracked up to be. Whether the home side were simply having an off-night or simply found themselves frustrated by Steven Naismith’s tactical set-up, there really wasn’t much between the teams over the piece. Daniel Oyegoke’s last-gasp own goal was a sickener for Hearts, and the players will have trudged off the park rightly feeling that they ought to have got more out of the game.

The team’s plight was almost paradoxical in nature. They had arrived in Plzen as the underdog, yet left disappointed after narrowly missing out on a 0-0 draw. And no one summed up that paradox more than Kenneth Vargas.

Did the Costa Rican play well? Yes and no. He was comfortably the most dangerous-looking Hearts player on the park as he stretched the Plzen defence, got in behind and generally made a nuisance of himself. The problem, though, was that while the 22-year-old was regularly getting into promising positions, he often ended up letting Plzen off the hook with some poor decision-making just when it mattered most.

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Decisions, decisions

Take a look at the example below within the first minute of the game. Malachi Boateng has the ball and Plzen are pressing hard, so he knocks it out wide to Jorge Grant.

The Englishman drifts forward as he plots his next move, and Vargas waves frantically for the ball. The forward has taken up a great position right on the shoulder of the last man, and there’s oceans of space down Hearts’ right. Grant spots the run, and the pass is good if a little wider than it had to be.

Vargas latches onto it and is 1v1 with his defender but just behind him, Cammy Devlin is completely unmarked and darting forward. The Australian is the obvious pass, but instead, Vargas tries to beat his man and is muscled off the ball.

After a decent early spell for the hosts, Hearts then played their way into the game and started exerting some pressure of their own towards the end of the first half. Vargas took the wrong option in our first example but in the one below his decision-making is spot on.

It starts with Lawrence Shankland winning the ball back high up the park and nudging it into the path of Vargas. The Costa Rican drifts towards the box, drawing his opponents in and waiting for a defender or two to commit.

Two Plzen players do so at the same time as Vargas cuts it back to Shankland at just the right moment. If Hearts can move it quickly into the highlighted area, they will surely have a great sight of goal.

Shankland shimmies past his man and gets his shot off but the goalie keeps it out.

Slowing down

Unfortunately for Vargas, that kind of decision-making in the final third would prove to be the exception and not the rule, particularly as the game wore on. There were times when he could have really hurt Plzen but his reluctance to turn on the afterburners and take on his man let Hearts’ hosts off the hook more than once.

Take a look at the example below from early on in the second half. Shankland has the ball as Hearts are counter-attacking, and Vargas has again taken up a brilliant position on the shoulder of the last man when Shankland releases him.

He’s in a 1v1 situation with the Plzen defender, who is extremely reluctant to commit to a challenge – so Vargas drifts forward slowly before speeding up again and taking on his man.

He gets by him and could shoot from a decent position – but instead, he takes another touch and is forced wide.

Vargas probably should have pulled the trigger in that instance but to be fair to him, he also came close to fashioning a great chance moments later. He keeps a hold of the ball out wide before cutting back in on himself and aiming for the back post. And with good reason too: look at how much space James Penrice is in.

The cross is over-hit in the end, but it’s a nice idea. Ultimately, though, it’s a move that didn’t amount to a shot on goal when the opportunity was there.

Later in the half, a similar situation unfolds. Plzen have lots of men forward as the ball is whipped into the Hearts box, but Kye Rowles rises to meet it with a strong header.

Vargas uses his body brilliantly to get the ball under control as his opponent tumbles to the ground, and he starts driving forward menacingly.

He’s 1v1 with the last man with plenty of space to run into, and he surely has to use his pace to take him on.

Instead, he slows things down again – and is soon crowded out.

Similar to our previous example, Hearts’ subsequent play was good and really should have led to another opportunity, so it’s hard to be too critical of Vargas. He keeps a hold of the ball well before playing it back to Shankland.

Boateng has taken up a wonderful position – he’s onside by a mile and completely unmarked. Shankland should play it ahead of the midfielder but instead, he plays it to feet, giving the Plzen defence time to recover as Boateng tries to get the ball out from under his feet.

This next chance, just five minutes from the end, is harder to defend. An excellent run from Vargas has been picked out brilliantly and the Costa Rican is through on goal. He’s a little wide but if he keeps going at full pace, it’s a one-on-one with the goalie.

Instead, Vargas slows his run – and Plzen’s two men are able to effectively turn him away.

He then plays it back to Liam Boyce – the right decision now that the chance is gone – but the pair mistime it horribly and Plzen win the ball back.

Then there was this opportunity with just five minutes of normal time left. Hearts win the ball back in the middle and Blair Spittal hoovers it up and bursts forward. Out of frame on the left wing, Vargas has dragged the centre-back wide and has lots of space in front of him when Spittal slides it out to him.

Again, you can’t help but think that Vargas can win a footrace here if he throws a little caution to the wind. The left centre-back is coming across to provide cover but if Vargas moves at top speed, there’s no way he’s catching up. Again, though, Vargas slows his dribble and refuses to take his man on.

By the time he reaches the box, three Plzen players are back and closing in on him. For some reason, this is when Vargas decides to take on his man and is immediately crowded out.

Shooting pains

Vargas’ decision-making was questionable at best. And although there were times when he looked like he could have posed some very awkward questions for Plzen if he had backed himself and had a little more faith, he often did fairly well in the immediate aftermath. What's perhaps more frustrating is the opportunities he missed.

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The first arrived towards the end of the first half when Frankie Kent flicks the ball back to Grant, who then heads it forward to Rowles.

Vargas has taken up a brilliant position once again – just onside, right on the shoulder of the last man – and Rowles dinks it through to him to send the attacker through on goal.

It’s a brilliant opportunity, but Vargas seems more focused on making first contact with the ball, perhaps with the view of the goalkeeper racing out to him. His attempted lob is weak and off target – and when the goalie barely even grazes him, he is made to regret his decision.

Then, in the second half, another great chance just after the break. Again, we need to applaud Vargas’ positioning and movement. He’s right in between the centre-halves, has turned one of them and is darting through when Shankland slips him in.

He latches onto it and this time drives immediately into the open space to get a shot away – but balloons it high and wide.

It was a moment that summed up Vargas’ night rather aptly. It’s impossible to fault the clever movement that leads to the opportunity but when the time comes for that all-important final ball, a combination of poor decision-making and a lack of composure cost him time and again. So much of what he did was right but when it came to those crunch moments, he often took the wrong option.

Did Vargas have a good night against Viktoria Plzen? Yes and no. It was so close to being a brilliant night, and yet it ended in bitter disappointment. The team played fairly well and still lost. And no one summed up Hearts’ paradoxical defeat against the Czechs more.