Hearts explain hooking Claudio Braga and touchline exchange as certain subs called out

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken admitted he had to take Claudio Braga off for fear that his star Portuguese forward would be sent off during the 1-1 Conference League draw against Nordsjaelland.

Braga picked up a yellow card just five minutes into the match for shirt-pulling and survived three further fouls as the game wore on.

Vrancken replaced Braga with Sabah Kerjota after 70 minutes and the Belgian head coach explained: ”He pulled a shirt already two times. So we couldn't take the risk, because I knew that the next little fault was for sure a second yellow card.”

Hearts forward Claudio Braga speaks with head coach Wouter Vrancken after his substitution. | SNS Group

Vrancken and Braga spoke on the touchline once the change was made, with the striker putting his fingers to his head. “He said, ‘like, I could still keep my mind on the game’. But at the end, after the game, he said, like, ‘yeah, coach, you're right, you're right’.”

Hearts were unable to hold on to a 1-0 lead after Oisin McEntee had prodded them in front on 33 minutes. They missed a host of chances before Nicklas Rojkjaer’s deflected effort four minutes from time ensured a share of the spoils.

Vrancken expressed disappointment at conceding so late on to a deflection and revealed displeasure at the energy levels and closing down shown by substitutes Kerjota and JJ Williams.

“Really happy with the performance, actually, because in the first 70 minutes we were dominant on the ball and also out of the ball,” continued Vrancken. “We were dominant, aggressive also.

“I'm really happy to see that we could do it against this side, because we know how strong they are, like we said already before the game. So it's a real disappointment to get the goal then.

“But again, I expect a bit more from subs when they come on also, to give the energy, to hold the ball or to hold off the pressure, and to show something more. They did already a few times before, and we didn't have to complain about this until now.

“Now, when you do a substitution, you expect more energy than there was at the moment, and it wasn't like that.

“You don't do substitutions just to make them. You want to see some extras at that moment or see some changes. It wasn't enough today, so we have to take it with us and learn from the guys who came in, and be ready for the next one.”

Asked specifically if he was referring to Kerjota and Williams, Vrancken replied: “Yeah, the others came in. I think Kings did his job, Mato did his job, and Jordi [Altena] in a position that they never played a long time ago.

“So, yeah, I think Sabah tried to do his thing and block his 1v1s and stuff like this. JJ did his thing, went in the duels, but I think we could expect a bit more from this replacement. But again, it's also for those guys a learning process and seeing that when the team needs you, you have to put yourself there.”