Football: McCann sparkles in Hearts' five-star show

Heart of Midlothian 5 Lantana Tallinn 0 Hearts win 6-0 on aggregate

HEARTS EXPERIENCED the least difficulty of Scotland's four European representatives in qualifying for the first round-proper of the Cup-Winners' Cup. They did so in style, with the gulf in class between the Scots and the Estonians fairly reflected in the scoreline.

However, it would never do to get carried away about the chances of a Scottish team in Europe and, certainly, sterner challenges lie ahead.

With three goals in the opening 45 minutes, Hearts killed off any hopes the Estonians might have had. Carrying a one-goal lead from the first leg, they put Sergei Ussoltsev, the Lantana goalkeeper, under pressure as early as the second minute, as he was forced to save from Jim Hamilton.

Steven Pressley curled a shot wide as the home side forced the pace, particularly through Steve Fulton, who had earlier been named in the Scotland squad for the forthcoming game against Lithuania. Neil McCann, who was also called up, was given plenty of service on the left as the Estonians packed their defence.

The visitors broke through on a couple of occasions to post warnings to the Hearts defence, with a long-range shot by Andrei Mitjunov pushed over the bar by Gilles Rousset. But Hearts earned the breakthrough their play deserved in the 18th minute. Lee Makel fed Hamilton, who steadied himself on the edge of the penalty area before firing a shot into the bottom corner.

The Edinburgh side kept up their search for goals and were clearly sharper in passing and movement. Stephane Adam shot just wide, then Pressley spurned an excellent opportunity when he stood on the ball eight yards from goal, but Hearts' second goal arrived just 60 seconds later. Adam's forward pass found Fulton sprinting clear of the on-rushing defence, leaving the midfielder a simple task in shooting home.

Five minutes from the break, Hearts added a third goal. McCann saw his header cleared by the goalkeeper, but immediately the Scottish side picked up possession on the left side through Rob McKinnon, whose cross found McCann inside the penalty area and the winger demonstrated his confidence by taking the ball on his chest before slamming a left-foot shot into the net.

The visitors came close at the start of the second half, with Vitali Leitan shooting against the post while, at the other end, Hamilton saw his shot well saved by the Lantana goalkeeper. The home side still had some defending to do, with McKinnon stopping the ball on the line from an inswinging corner.

Hearts continued to dominate the game and scored a fourth goal in the 75th minute. McCann beat the offside trap before shooting against the underside of the bar and when the ball came out, Thomas Flogel, a substitute, slammed it into the roof of the net. Inside injury- time, Derek Holmes added a fifth from close range after working a one-two with McCann.

Heart of Midlothian: (4-4-2): Rousset; Pressley, Weir, Ritchie, McKinnon; Locke, Fulton, Makel (Holmes, 75), McCann; Hamilton (Flogel, 60), Adam (Quitongo, 60). Substitutes not used: Salvatori, Murray, Murie, Hogarth (gk).

Lantana Tallinn: (4-4-2): Ussoltsev; Kolotsei, Bahmatski, Kulikov, Krasnopjorov; Tjunin, Mitjunov, Koulichenko, Gorjatsov; Leitan, Valuiski (Tselnokov, 79). Substitutes not used: Kalimullin, Kiseljov, Jersov.

Referee: J Wegereef (Netherlands).