admin“That’s the frustration”: Hearts ace delivers ‘good pressure’ verdict and reveals Rangers moment that meant nothing to him
Heart of Midlothian striker Claudio Braga has urged his teammates to remain united and focused after their dramatic 4–2 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday.
Despite racing into the lead twice in the first half through goals from Marc Leonard and Braga, Hearts were unable to withstand a second-half surge from the hosts.
A hat-trick from Youssef Chermiti, combined with an unfortunate own goal by Michael Steinwender, completed a stunning comeback and handed Rangers all three points.
The result saw Hearts’ advantage at the summit of the Scottish Premiership trimmed to just two points, with further pressure coming from Celtic, who edged a dramatic 3–2 victory over Kilmarnock thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Julian Araujo earlier in the day.
Nevertheless, Braga insists that the strong dressing-room spirit that has driven Hearts’ impressive campaign will be key as they look to respond quickly.
“We’re still top of the league,” the 26-year-old said.
“There are plenty of matches still to play and we’re in a strong position. Of course it’s frustrating to lose against a direct rival, especially when you know you could have done better.
Scoring twice at Ibrox isn’t easy, but we still came away with nothing, and that’s hard to take. The important thing is using that frustration to push us on and win the next game.”
Reflecting on his goal, Braga admitted personal satisfaction was overshadowed by the result. “At the time I was happy, but now I’d rather have the worst performance of my career and take the three points. Individual moments don’t matter when the team doesn’t win.”
The Portuguese forward also revealed how the squad rallied together after the match. “A lot of the boys spoke afterwards. We’re very united and we trust each other completely. That togetherness is why we’re where we are.
Everyone gives everything for one another.”
Braga also responded to pre-match comments from Rangers head coach Danny Rohl, who suggested Hearts were feeling similar pressure in the title race after seeing their once-commanding lead reduced.
“We don’t really see it as pressure,” Braga said with a smile. “It’s been 40 years since Hearts last won the league, so what we’re doing is special.
We’re proud of our work. The pressure is usually on teams that are expected to win titles. For us, it’s a good kind of pressure. We just need to enjoy it, keep the right mentality, and focus on winning games. We’re still first, there’s a lot to play for, and we’ve got some good fixtures coming up, especially at home.”
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