Hearts' struggles began in July, when they were thrashed 6-0 by Sturm Graz in the second preliminary round of the Champions League. They were then relegated to the Europa League, where they faced Benfica, who were also eliminated at the same stage of the Champions League. Hearts' hopes of qualifying for European competition were all but extinguished after a 6-1 defeat in the first leg, only to be salvaged by a 1-1 draw in the return leg. However, a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their C4 qualifying tie against Rapid Vienna left Hearts with a glimmer of hope. Despite being reduced to ten men after Tomas Magnusson's expulsion, Hearts equalized through Pierre Kaboré and took the lead through Calvin Miller in the 100th minute. However, Rapid Vienna equalized in the 119th minute, forcing the tie to be decided by a penalty shootout, which Hearts won 4-3.