Spirited Hearts punished by Basaksehir in Istanbul

Serdar Gürler took advantage of a Craig Gordon error to double the host's lead

Hearts were ruthlessly punished by Istanbul Basaksehir as their Conference League group campaign ended in defeat.

Substitute Berkay Ozcan slammed in a third seconds after coming on.

The Edinburgh side, who were consigned to third already, competed well in a largely empty Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium, and got a deserved consolation through Nathaniel Atkinson late on.

Basaksehir finish top of Group A on goal difference in front of Fiorentina, with RFS of Latvia bottom on two points.

• Reaction & as it happened

It will be a European adventure many Hearts fans will never forget, despite suffering heavy defeats by the section's big two.

But while the quality of the opposition from Turkey and Italy is undoubtedly better than what Robbie Neilson's side are used to playing against most weeks in Scotland, the Scots did little to help themselves defensively on their final bow.

Stefano Okaka skewed a shot wide in opening moments. It was a warning shot that was not heeded.

With little over three minutes on the clock, a straightforward corner caused bamboozlement in a rooted Hearts defence. Ndayishimiye took advantage while in space, crashing a header beyond a helpless Craig Gordon.

Half an hour on, Hearts were again culpable. Gordon flew out his box to try to clear a long diagonal ball, but only connected with the onrushing Okaka. Gurler reacted first to collect the loose ball, turns inside, and slip a low shot beyond an off-balance Toby Sibbick on the line.

Gordon produced an impressive double save moments later to reprieve himself and thwart Bertrand Traore in a first half that Neilson's team otherwise competed well in, despite a lack of end product.

After the break, Hearts continued to grow in confidence, with the Tynecastle boss throwing on Lawrence Shankland and Barrie McKay, such was the hope of finding a lifeline.

Yet, both were on the pitch for less than a minute before Ozcan struck. Hearts were dispossessed in their own half to allow Basaksehir to counter. The ball was worked to the substitute, who controlled the ball in the box with his first two touches, and rifled by Gordon with his third.

There was some late reward for Hearts' endeavour, though. It was a goal made on the bench, with substitute Finlay Pollock crossing for Shankland, whose parried shot fell perfectly for Atkinson to ram home.

Player of the match - Jorge Grant

Despite the score, there was plenty of positive play from Hearts, and Grant was in the middle of it

Can Hearts gather themselves for winter push? - analysis

On reflection the scoreline was harsh on Hearts. Heavy defeats have been handed out in Europe, but they were far from being overrun in Istanbul. For large swathes of the game, they played the ball with purpose, even when three goals down.

But now that Europe is finished this season, the impact that will have on their domestic tilt will be in the mind of Neilson. A congested run of games is some to abate thanks to the World Cup, and his team could be doing with a rest. A fairly large injury list won't be helping.

The Tynecastle side will have eyes of getting back here again next season. Getting through this last burst of games before the early winter break could go some way to ensuring that.

What next?

Hearts' focus for the remainder of the season returns to domestic action, with Motherwell coming to Tynecastle on Sunday (15:00 GMT).