Hearts’ summer misery stretched as they surrendered two late goals to lose 2‑1 to Aberdeen in their Scottish Premiership opener at Pittodrie. Wouter Vrancken and the Jambos appeared poised for a win after a turbulent few months, leading through Oisin Mc Entee’s first‑half goal.

Just as they seemed to close out a first win at Pittodrie in more than a decade, Lewis Mayo equalised in the 90th minute before Kevin Nisbet secured the Dons with a stoppage‑time penalty after Stuart Findlay was sent off for denying a goal‑scoring opportunity.

Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson, who had built momentum from four Premier Sports Cup group‑stage victories, drafted Chris Cadden straight into his starting line‑up a day after his Hibernian arrival. Hearts made five changes from their Champions League loss, debuting Beau Reus and Laurent Mendy and giving Sabah Kerjota and Amadou Ba‑Sy their first competitive starts.

The Jambos’ makeshift defence, with midfielder Mc Entee playing at centre‑half after Malachi Fagan‑Walcott’s injury, looked to have allowed Dons captain Nisbet to get clean‑through in the third minute, but Mc Entee recovered well to scramble the ball behind for a corner. The 1,600‑strong travelling support sang anti‑SFA songs, reflecting last season’s controversial calls, while the 6‑0 aggregate defeat by Graz remained a fresh wound for the club.