Former Celtic winger Marco Tilio was left to suffer the decisive penalty heartbreak as Hearts dumped Rapid Vienna out of Europe on Thursday night.
The Australian stepped forward to take Rapid’s fifth spot-kick with the Austrian side needing to score to keep their UEFA Conference League hopes alive.
However, Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus saved Tilio’s right-footed effort to seal a 4-3 shootout victory after the tie had finished 4-4 on aggregate.
It was a particularly surprising moment given Tilio is predominantly known for playing with his left foot.
Rapid boss Johannes Hoff Thorup was quizzed about the decision afterwards and insisted the former Celtic man was comfortable taking the penalty on his right.
“If you ask him he would say that he’s right-footed or at least he takes set-piece situations with his right foot,” Thorup said via news.com.au
Thorup also explained that Rapid’s penalty order had been determined by the coaching staff based on their work in training and what they had observed from the players throughout the season.
For Tilio, it was a painful conclusion to a European campaign as he continues to rebuild his career following an unsuccessful spell at Celtic.
The winger arrived at Parkhead from Melbourne City in the summer of 2023, although an injury delayed his introduction to Brendan Rodgers’ squad.
Tilio ultimately managed just two substitute appearances for Celtic, totalling 28 minutes against Motherwell and Hibernian.
He subsequently returned to Melbourne City for two separate loan spells before finally leaving Celtic permanently in August 2025.
Rapid reportedly paid Celtic around £1.3million to secure his signature.
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