Bruno Aguiar marked his comeback from 18 months out by earning Hearts a 1-1 draw with Hibernian.
Aguiar fires home equaliser after Fletcher's early opener
Bruno Aguiar marked his comeback from 18 months on the sidelines by earning Hearts a 1-1 draw with Hibernian in the first Edinburgh derby of the season.
The hosts had made a flying start to the contest when Steven Fletcher scored from close range with the game barely a minute old.
But Aguiar, who had not made a first-team appearance since April 2007 due to ankle and knee injuries, drilled home a free-kick before half-time to clinch a point for Hearts.
Hibs enjoyed a dream start to the derby by taking the lead inside two minutes through Fletcher's close-range finish after Derek Riordan's clever back-heel had played in Colin Nish.
Hearts could have been level within four minutes, however, when Christophe Berra's header from Laryea Kingston's cross came back off the crossbar.
Chance wasted
Riordan volleyed into the side-netting from a good position moments later before Hearts wasted a golden chance to level on 11 minutes.
Yves Ma-Kalambay came out of his goal to thwart Christian Nade, but the ball broke for Kingston, who wildly blazed his shot off target with the Hibs keeper stranded.
Aguiar flashed a shot over the bar on 38 minutes, but that merely proved to be a sighter for the Portuguese midfielder's equaliser on 42 minutes.
Hearts were awarded a free-kick just outside the area on the left-hand side and Aguiar rifled a low shot inside Ma-Kalambay's far post.
Dean Shiels could have restored Hibs' lead before the break, but he could only steer his attempt wide from a clever lay-off inside the box.
Riordan goes close
The visitors brought on keeper Janos Balogh for his debut at half-time and he was quickly into the action to save Riordan's header at his near post.
The better chances in the second half continued to fall to Hibs, with Fletcher hitting the side-netting and Riordan thumping a volley against Balogh's upright.
Fletcher volleyed narrowly over for Hibs five minutes from time, while Aguiar scuffed his effort at the opposite end.
Hearts defender Marius Zaliukas almost gifted Hibs a winner in the last minute when Riordan pounced on his sloppy back-pass, but Balogh was out quickly to deny the Hibs ace.
Yet there was still time for Hearts to have snatched the points only for Nade to turn Andrew Driver's cross over the bar from seven yards out.
