A look back at Hearts' greatest ever scalps in European competition down the years

Heart of Midlothian FC have a long history in European competition stretching back to the 1950s, with tonight's crunch 2nd leg Europa League play-off match versus FC Zurich at Tynecastle Park being their 82nd competitive bout against continental opposition.

In that time, the Gorgie boys have managed 30 wins and 18 draws, and have tasted defeat on 33 occasions, the most recent being last week's 2-1 reversal in Switzerland.

But the team can take inspiration from the fact that Hearts have notched up many massive European results down the decades, including a number of sensational victories over Europe's elite.

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Let's take a look at the pick of the best.

The 1970s was far from being a vintage decade for Hearts, but this five-goal romp at home versus Lokomotive Leipzig was a bright spot in what was otherwise a barren era for the club.

Hearts had made it into the Cup Winners' Cup after defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final, with the Glasgow side lifting the treble that year and already qualified for the 1976/77 European Cup.

Goals from Roy Kay, Willie Gibson, Jim Brown and Drew Busby proved too much for the East German outfit in this first round tie, and despite losing 2-0 in the away leg, Hearts made it through to the next round by five goals to three on aggregate.

Hearts knew they would need to give it their all to stand a chance against the mighty Bayern Munich, but having already dispatched of St Patrick's, Austria Vienna and Velez Mostar they were feeling confident they could do the business.

In this highly memorable first leg tie at a packed Tynecastle, a blistering free kick from Iain Ferguson sent the Jambos