“I live in the here and now. I enjoy nights like this and I’ll keep enjoying it.”
Defiant words from Lawrence Shankland as the Hearts captain brushed away the question of growing speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia. Words that the Hearts faithful will no doubt be thrilled to hear.
Once again their striker put on a spellbinding performance when his side needed it. When a moment of magic is required, the Scotland international has a catalogue of tricks up his sleeve.
Having scored the vital consolation in Norway, he again exhibited his threat in the return against Rosenborg, pouncing at the precise moment to jolt Tynecastle back into a jubilant mood with the leveller on the night.
“What an asset he is to Hearts,” said Michael Stewart on Sportscene. He’s not wrong.
It’s not just about the goals, either. They grab the headlines, but his movement, vision and ability to galvanise the ground were all in evidence on Thursday.
Hearts simply cannot afford to lose such a talismanic figure, especially if this European dream is to last until Christmas.
If, and it’s a big if, Shankland’s head is turned by the money of the Middle East, goals will need to come from elsewhere, like they did in the second half of this contest.
Before this, Cammy Devlin had scored three goals for Hearts. He almost doubled that in one half of football. Striking with conviction, he sparked utter euphoria.
The Australia international said “it was a feeling I’ve never felt before” when his stoppage-time shot hit the net, albeit with the help of a deflection.
“The roar within the stadium was amazing,” he added. “You’ve got to soak up these nights because football is full of ups and downs and when it’s an up, you’ve got to really enjoy it.
“The crowd spend a lot of money to see us play so it was about giving something back to them. They are a massive reason as to why we’re through.”
Tynecastle did not disappoint on Thursday. There were moments you could barely hear yourself think. The ground was vibrating beneath your feet. Magical stuff.
The same will be required when Greek side PAOK come to town next week.
Two folks who won’t be in the stands next week, but are lapping all this up, are Devlin’s parents back in Australia.
“They got up at 4:45am before work to watch; they’re in tears at home,” he revealed. “I guess that’s what it’s all about, making them proud and that’s why I do it.”
Devlin and the rest of Hearts’ midfield will need to be more switched on, while the defence will most definitely need to be more secure for the Greeks visiting, but these are tweaks Frankie McAvoy and co can make in the coming days.
For now, it’s all about revelling in one of the most chaotic nights this great stadium has witnessed in recent times.
And it was just that, chaotic. Messy at points. But that’s shows something about this Hearts side. They can dig deep, very deep, when needed.
“Going a goal down so early wasn’t ideal but it shows the resilience and character that is in this squad,” Devlin added. “We needed players to stand up when it counted.”
The midfielder filled that bill, quite literally. In the pre-match line-up he had to scoot to one side because his mascot was taller than him and he couldn’t shake his opponents hands. Post-match he left a giant.
2023-08-17 23:10:49
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