Hearts

The German is currently with Dutch outfit Heracles Almelo and is out of contract at the end of the current season.

After the break, he was shown a second after Belgian ref William Visser adjudged him to have dived in the box an an attempt to win a penalty. That left Hearts with a mountain to climb. [Hearts](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/hearts-fc) have been on the hunt for an additional midfielder since signing Jorge Grant. The number seven was booked in the first half for a tackle from behind, which seemed harsh. The German is currently with Dutch outfit Heracles Almelo after joining them from German lower league outfit Unterhaching two years ago. The Jambos have been drawn alongside Istanbul Basaksehir, Fiorentina and Riga’s RFS, with fixture dates to be confirmed tomorrow.

Hearts will face Serie A side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League after being handed an exciting group stage draw. Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir ...

Fiorentina are one of the biggest names in the group stage. Making up the group is Latvian side RFS. Managed by former international midfielder Emre Belozoglu, who played for Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Newcastle among others, they beat Breidablik and Royal Antwerp to qualify for the group stages.

The 39-year-old Scotland international keeper was struck by an object thrown from the away end during Thursday night's Europa League playoff at Tynecastle.

What was an otherwise competitive and entertaining 90 minutes was marred by [Gordon](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/craig-gordon) being targeted from the away end. It was a really good game, you don't need to be facing that as well. "Maybe one of the TV cameras caught but I was hit with something on the back of the head. [Europa Conference League](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/europa-conference-league) group stage. You don't want to be facing that when you're on the pitch, it can be dangerous. [Hearts](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/hearts-fc) had dominated the tie until Jorge Grant was shown a second yellow card for diving and Fabian Rohner's late goal sent the Swiss champions through on a frustrating night for a capacity home support in Gorgie.

Craig Gordon has blasted Zurich fans after they hit him with missiles during last night's Europa League qualifier at Tynecastle.

"It was a really good game, you don't need to be facing that as well. I hope we can all do something to stop it but it's very difficult." [Hearts](https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/all-about/hearts-fc) lost 1-0 to the Swiss outfit last night. "Maybe one of the TV cameras caught but I was hit with something on the back of the head. You don't want to be facing that when you're on the pitch, it can be dangerous. [Gordon](https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/all-about/craig-gordon) insisted there was "absolutely no excuse" and blasted the danger he was put in by fans.

Hearts have been handed a tough Conference League draw but one with plenty of intrigue and excitement.

Despite a fantastic performance in the first 53 minutes they were hit with a sucker punch when Jorge Grant was shown a second yellow card for simulation and sent off, eventually losing 1-0. Their home tie with Linfield was moved to the 8,000-seater Skonto Stadium in the country’s capital. They defeated Linfield on penalties to reach the group stage and currently sit third in the Virsliga with 25 games played.

Heart of Midlothian goalkeeper Craig Gordon says there is "absolutely no excuse" after he was struck by an object during his side's 1-0 defeat by Zurich.

The players were out there putting on a great show - it was a really good game, really competitive, and we don't need to be facing that as well. It's not ideal to be facing that when you're on the pitch - it can be dangerous, so that's disappointing. I hope we can all of a sudden put a stop to it but it's very difficult."

German midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou is close to joining Hearts for a six-figure fee from Dutch club Heracles Almelo.

He came to Hearts’ attention when scouts were tasked with finding a combative central midfielder earlier this summer. Defenders Kye Rowles, Lewis Neilson and Alex Cochrane, plus midfielder Jorge Grant, winger Alan Forrest and striker Lawrence Shankland all arrived earlier in the window. He is expected to sign a three-year contract provided there are no unexpected hitches. Kiomourtzoglou carries a physical presence at 6ft 1in tall but is also a composed passer of the ball with the required energy to get around the middle of the pitch. German midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou is close to joining Hearts for a six-figure fee from Dutch club Heracles Almelo. [Tynecastle](/topic/tynecastle) officials have agreed a deal worth £350,000 for the 24-year-old and hope to complete his signing in the final few days of the summer transfer window.

Heracles Almelo star Orestis Kiomourtzoglou is joining Hearts permanently after the Jambos reached an agreement with the Dutch club.

The midfielder will join Hearts permanently and the fees the Jambos will pay is €400,000, with the contract running until 2025. However, Heracles Almelo were relegated at the end of the season and the midfielder faced a season in the second tier of Dutch football. Kiomourtzoglou has been with the Dutch club since the summer of 2019 and has over 80 appearances for them under his belt.

Robbie Neilson's men had to settle for the Europa Conference League but Stewart says their group is higher level.

And he picked out some of the dangermen to be wary of. “And I take Michael’s point that they are sort of Europa League level ties. “It’s a tie that I don’t think would look out of place in the Europa League,” he told BT Sport. Fiorentina is the standout tie and punters will learn when they can start booking travel to Florence on Saturday, when the fixture dates are confirmed. “It’s one that’s going to be tough, inevitably. And their opponents took full advantage, coming out of their shell to net a crucial goal through Fabian Rohner with ten minutes left to seal their progression.