Hearts 3-3 Motherwell: Claudio Braga scores double as Jambos strike back for dramatic Scottish Premiership draw
Report as Hearts come from three down to draw 3-3 with Motherwell; Callum Slattery, Tawanda Maswanhise and Emmanuel Longelo had the visitors ahead; Harry Milne pulled a goal back with Claudio Braga scoring a brace
Saturday 23 August 2025 20:41, UK
Substitute Claudio Braga scored a double as Hearts staged a dramatic comeback from three down to draw 3-3 at home to Motherwell in the Premiership.
Well dominated the first hour and Callum Slattery, Tawanda Maswanhise and Emmanuel Longelo all netted as they opened up a deserved three-goal lead to leave the Tynecastle crowd seething.
But Hearts, who had started the day top of the table after winning their opening two league matches, hit back through Harry Milne before Braga netted twice and then struck the woodwork in stoppage-time as Jens Berthel Askou's Steelmen were held to a third-consecutive Premiership draw.
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Hearts made three changes to the side that started the penalty shootout defeat at St Mirren in the League Cup and there were two changes to the Well side that started their victory in the competition at St Johnstone.
Well, with their unrelenting desire to play out from the back, controlled the early exchanges and took the lead in the 21st minutes when Slattery's shot from the edge of the box - following a well-worked corner - took a big deflection off home defender Craig Halkett on its way into the net.
Hearts, who incurred the wrath of their supporters as the visitors dominated the ball, threatened a couple of times towards the end of the first half, with Milne's strike blocked by Kofi Balmer before Kabore's close-range effort from a Lawrence Shankland cross was turned behind by Well goalkeeper Calum Ward.
Jambos boss Derek McInnes responded to his side's dismal first-half display by making two changes for the start of the second period, with Wilson and Kabore making way for Beni Baningime and Braga.
Things got worse for the hosts, however, when Well doubled their lead in the 49th minute as Elijah Just skinned Stuart Findlay in the box and set up Maswanhise, who drove a low angled shot beyond Zander Clark from just outside the six-yard box.
Hearts were in disarray and they conceded a third in the 61st minute when O'Donnell's through ball released Just, who drew Clark and laid it on a plate for Longelo to roll into the empty net.
The shell-shocked hosts pulled one back four minutes later when Milne drilled home an angled strike from just inside the box after Braga's shot deflected into his path.
They got themselves right back in the match in the 74th minute when Braga ran on to a pass from fellow substitute Blair Spittal's ball and drove it underneath Ward.
The goal was initially disallowed for offside but then allowed to stand following a VAR check.
With the wind in their sails, Hearts equalised in the 84th minute when Braga followed up to tap home after Milne's shot was parried by Ward.
McInnes: 'I love being their manager'
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes:
"Claudio had last weekend from hell, he feels that responsibility and now he feels much better about himself.
"And he can be that talisman for us when he's playing in that sort of free-flowing vein with confidence oozing from him.
"When we got the first goal, all of a sudden you thought 'maybe there's just something here for us'.
"We got the second one and you're thinking, 'just don't run out of time'. And we get the third one, then we hit the post and we had a few things fizzing about. I think we ran out of time to win the game.
"It's that third (Motherwell) goal that was an absolute killer for us. We were on the floor, there was no doubt about it.
"We need to clearly discuss that and work out why we they had three shots on target and scored the three goals and why they played through us too often.
"But the players deserve so much credit. I love being their manager already."
Askou encouraged by improvement
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou:
"It's very clear that we are getting better every week.
"It was an incredible game, what a football game for everyone to watch and for the players to be part of.
"Unfortunately we didn't get the three points that were there for us to take, because we invested a lot into this game, a lot of bravery and a lot of quality.
"But we know that Hearts will put us under pressure when they have to chase something and they showed their quality as well."
