Rousset blocks Red Star delivery
Red Star Belgrade 0 Heart of Midlothian
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Your support makes all the difference.Heart of Midlothian had their French goalkeeper Gilles Rousset to thank for keeping Red Star at bay in the Cup-Winners' Cup qualifying round first leg match in Belgrade last night.
Rousset first rescued Hearts after 18 minutes with a stunning save, sticking out a leg to deny Perica Ognjenovic. However, he nearly blotted his copy book on the half-hour with a careless clearance which fell to Zoran Jovicic. Luckily for the keeper, the ball went wide of the post.
The Red Star suuporters became restless at their team's inability to score and in the final quarter of the first half the Yugoslav side raised the tempo and could have gone ahead twice.
Rousset made a marvellous instinctive save from the dangerous Ognjenovic after Dejan Stankovic had carved out the opening. Then Dejan Stankovic fired a shot over the top as Hearts were forced to back pedal.
Ognjenovic carved a huge hole in the Hearts defence with a mazy run before the break only to send his shot narrowly wide of the post.
Hearts found themselves under pressure at the start of the second half and Ognjenovic again made the break for Red Star with David McPherson forced to make a hurried clearance.
Rousset was in action after 53 minutes when Ognjenovic cut inside and released a thundering shot. The keeper stood his ground and made a marvellous block.
Rousset ran to his Hearts colleagues on the final whistle swapping high fives with all of them in turn. He then applauded the small band of Hearts fans who gave him a rapturous reception and well they might. His performance could well have set up Hearts for a money-spinning first-round match.
Red Star Belgrade: Milosevic; Zivkovic, Djorovic, Njegus, P Stankovic, Marinovic, Ognjenovic, Pantelic, Jovicic, D. Stankovic, Anic. Substitutes: Jevric, Bratic, Vanic, Vulevic, Boskovic.
Heart of Midlothian: Rousset; Cameron, Colquhoun, Bruno, Pointon, Goss, Frail, Mackay, McPherson, Ritchie, Weir. Substitutes: Fulton, McKenzie, McManus, Robertson, Thomas.
Referee: H Albrecht (Germany).
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