Referee adds to woe for Hearts

Feyenoord 3 Hearts 0: Hearts suffered defeat in their Group A opener against Feyenoord in Rotterdam last night in a game marred by controversial refereeing decisions.

A Dirk Kuyt double and a Bart Goor strike provided the goals which allowed the Dutch side to kick-off their Group A campaign with a win at the De Kuip stadium.

But Feyenoord and Hearts had goals ruled offside - shots from Salomon Kalou and Kevin McKenna - by Danish referee Tonny Kolbech Poulsen, even though both looked as though they should both have stood.

Hearts headed into this game knowing Feyenoord were strongly fancied to take the three points and their task was made even more difficult by the news Mark de Vries would not play a part, because of a poisoned toe.

The Dutch striker had taken a painkilling injection in the last round to grab the two goals against Braga which sent Hearts into the group stages of the competition.

Feyenoord took the lead after 22 minutes. Patrick Paauwe flighted a cross into the path of Kuyt who nodded past Craig Gordon.

Goor made it 2-0 after 59 minutes when he bulleted Kalou's pass beyond Goirdon from 10 yards.

Hearts showed they still hadn't given up with just over 10 minutes remaining when Joe Hamill unleashed a long, low drive which fell just wide of the upright.

But any hope of salvaging anything from the game was killed off when Kuyt met Goor's cross to fire home his second goal of the game from inside the six-yard box after 82 minutes.

FEYENOORD: Babos; Saidi, Bosschaart, Kuijt, Ono, Goor, Paauwe, Kalou (Buffel 67), Basto (Mtiglia 64), Castelen (Lazovic 80),Zuiverloon.Subs Not Used: Lodewijks, Ghali, Loovens, Gyan. Booked: Bosschaart, Mtiglia.

HEARTS: Gordon; Maybury, Kisnorbo (Stewart 82), Pressley,McKenna, Webster, Hartley, MacFarlane (Weir 40), Neilson, McAllister (Wyness 70), Hamill. Subs Not Used: Moilanen, Janczyk, Sloan, Berra. Booked: Webster, Pressley, Maybury.

Referee: T Kolbech Poulsen (Denmark).