Hearts reaction to Vienna win: Wouter Vrancken goes from angry to elated - and almost injures himself

The Tynecastle side trailed 1-0 after 45 minutes at the Allianz Stadion but played superbly in the second half and in extra time, despite having midfield substitute Tomas Magnusson sent off.

Another substitute, Pierre Landry Kabore, equalised a few minutes later before Calvin Miller volleyed Hearts ahead in the 10th minute of extra-time, only for Rapid to hit back in the 119th minute through Nenad Cvetkovic and make it 2-2 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.

Hearts overcame a number of setbacks to win the tie which guarantees them six matches in the league stage and a prize pot of around £4 million. Tom Renaud, their French midfielder, was taken off on a stretcher after only 12 minutes and was seen on crutches with his injured ankle in a protective boot. His replacement, Magnusson, was dismissed for a second yellow card in the 76th minute.

‘I was really angry at half-time’

“It's so deserved for those players,” said Vrancken, who took over as Hearts boss in the summer following Derek McInnes’ departure to Rangers. “The effort they put in today. We played a really bad first half without guts. A bit similar as in Benfica [when Hearts lost 6-1 in Lisbon in a Europa League qualifier]. I told them. I was really angry at half-time.

“We have to show guts to make results. You have to do your thing and don't be scared to make mistakes. Just do it and go full. Second half was amazing. Also again, the guys who came in. When you see Kabore starting last week [in the first leg], James Wilson came on, makes a difference. Now the roles were the other way around. But Kabore also with his energy, he's maybe disappointed not starting.”

‘Scared that I’d injured myself’

Hearts won the penalty shoot-out 4-3 with their goalkeeper, Beau Reus, saving from Rapid’s Moulaye Haidara and Marco Tilio. Miller, Jordi Altena, Rogers Mato and Sabah Kerjota all converted for Hearts but Oisin McEntee’s effort was saved by Rapid keeper Niklas Hedl, meaning Reus had to save the fifth Rapid kick from Tilio to stop the shoot-out going to sudden death. He dived right to deny the former Celtic player, sparking wild celebrations, with Vrancken himself sprinting on to the pitch to join the squad.

“I was a little bit scared that I injured myself, actually,” he smiled. “We did a sprint, that's a long time ago since I did that. But no, all the emotions came together. You see what's happening on the pitch, you see them working. You want to give them the reward. And when you see them at the last minute, you get the goal. And then the penalties, they stayed into the game altogether. Then you're just happy that the guys get rewarded.”

“Yeah, I'm really proud,” Vrancken added, who had special praise for the substitutes who made such a difference. “The guys who came in, the energy, the extras they bring. They gave something with the team. When you see Kabore, Mato, Saba didn't lose one ball, they won every duel there in the back and that was needed. [Laurent] Mendy came in in a difficult game in a central position there. He kept them really strong in the game. So, yeah, really proud.”

The draw for the league phase of the Conference League will take place on Friday, with the first match scheduled for October 15. There will be further games on October 22, November 5 and 26, and December 10 and 17.