Hearts Move 8 Points Ahead at the Summit After Shankland's Penalty Kick Sees Off The Glasgow Giants
History wasn't made at Tynecastle Park, since it's far too early for such landmarks. This game highlighted is that Heart of Midlothian are at least in with serious opportunity of breaking Scottish football's long-standing stranglehold. They now lead by eight points for Hearts over their rivals, whom they easily dispatched. Catch them if you can.
Decisive Period in the Second Half
A brief but pivotal phase proved decisive, once the initial exchanges that was contested closely. It was remarkable after Hearts surged 3-1 in front was how comfortable the rest of the game was for the home side. Kyziridis netted the second goal, cutting in from the left before blasting a strike past the static Kasper Schmeichel. Soon there was further euphoria in the stands, Murray fouling Cláudio Braga for a spot-kick that the captain tucked away. The Celtic manager looked dejected; he hardly has his troubles to seek.
The crowd erupted after Alexandros Kyziridis (second right) scores to make it 2-1 against Celtic.
Celtic's Response
Celtic bounced back from an early setback. Murray, who had a difficult day, conceded an own goal due to confusion when trying to clear a delivery from Shankland. Celtic edged their way back into the game, skipper Callum McGregor, turning home a Kieran Tierney cutback for 1-1.
Solid Backline
The Hearts goalkeeper Schwolow, who had saved superbly from Benjamin Nygren in the first half, parried an Engels shot which deflected off Magnússon. Halkett thwarted a Shin Yamada attempt in added time. The hosts faced little else as the clock ticked down. “We stand firm” has become the Tynecastle verse of choice at the ground. It's hard to ignore the excitement.
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