Calvin Miller scored a sensational goal and then netted the crucial first penalty as 10-man Hearts dumped Rapid Vienna in a shootout to secure their place in the Conference League main phase. The winger admitted he could barely move with cramp in both legs during extra time but refused to leave his team-mates in the lurch.
Painful night in Vienna
Miller forced his body through extra time against Rapid Vienna while clearly struggling with cramp, a night made for heroes. Down to 10 men after Tomas Magnusson's sending off, manager Wouter Vrancken had used all his substitutes by the time the cramp hit.
Despite the physical hell of that half hour, the 28-year-old produced the goal of his life with a scissor kick that gave Vrancken's side a 2-1 lead in extra time before Rapid's last-gasp equaliser. He then stepped up to score the first penalty in the winner-takes-all shootout.
Belief in the team
Asked what got him through the pain, Miller said: "When you see your team-mates digging in, giving everything, you get a real sense of belief when everybody's putting a shift in.
"Being down to 10 men, everybody's helping each other. The wingers are helping out the full-backs and the strikers are dropping in. It was just an amazing team performance.
"It seemed so long. The pitch was horrendous. It was the sandiest pitch I've ever been on. It was so heavy and usually I cramp my calves, but it was my groins.
"Then I had to go and do a job in centre-mid. I was fatiguing but at the time I never knew that we didn't have any more subs. So I was thinking, 'how am I not getting taken off here?'
"At one point I genuinely couldn't move. But I'm so thankful that I stayed on and managed to get through - and score as well. It's just been the best night of my life so far in football. It was a mental, mental game."
Shootout heroics
Miller kept his nerve to get Hearts off and running in the shootout in front of the fierce Rapid ultras at the Allianz Stadion. Oisin McEntee had his penalty saved, but two brilliant Beau Reus stops saw Hearts through.
Miller insisted there was never any doubt he was hitting the first spot kick, even if he could barely walk the distance from the halfway line to take it. He said: "I had cramp in two groins but I was just like 'get a massage in there before I go and take it'.
"I'm the penalty taker so there wasn't any doubt that I wasn't going to take one. I always back myself and that's why I wanted to go first and put it away.
"I had real belief when we were standing there. Even though Oisin missed his penalty, I thought, 'we're still winning this'.
"You just get that instinct and belief. When Beau saved that second pen, I actually still thought there was another one to go. But then I've saw the gaffer and everyone all running to Beau.
"It was just an amazing, amazing night. Everybody was up singing and dancing in the dressing room."
Looking ahead
Miller was a standout for Falkirk last season before moving to Tynecastle in June. It was a tough start to life in Gorgie as the Jambos suffered heavy defeats to Sturm Graz and Benfica in the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, but it was third time lucky against Rapid.
Miller said: "I always had belief that I could go and make the next step. We've been really unlucky with the draws in terms of how hard they've been. So to then get a result on Wednesday is massive credit to everybody at the football club.
"We need to rest and recover properly. We enjoyed the celebrations in the changing room but you can't go mental. We'll just look forward to Saturday against St Johnstone because the league is very important as well for us."
