Lawrence Shankland praised Hearts’ second half performance in Trondheim and insists the tie is still alive ahead of next week’s second leg at Tynecastle.
The skipper struck late in the second half with a perfect header to finish the game 2-1 to Rosenborg. Whilst aware that Hearts lacked cutting edge in the first 45, Lawrence is hopeful that the Jambos can carry momentum into next Thursday.
"Rosenborg a good side, especially on the break, and it's no surprise that's where their two goals came from,” he told Hearts TV after the match.
“A poor free-kick on our part, albeit I don't think it was a foul, and we didn't set up properly and they got a goal. They then go on the counter and get another.
"We gave ourselves a mountain to climb at half-time. The plan was simple for the second half: get a goal, get back in the game, and make sure we're still in the tie when we head back to Tynecastle. We've managed to do that and we'll take the positives.
"Don't get me wrong, throughout the game, I thought we were very much in it. We played a lot of good stuff and just couldn't really break them down - playing inside their half instead of getting into the final third. I think we can be happy with the performance overall; the second half was much better than the first.
"Momentum swings and we can now look forward to getting back home next week. It was good to see the fans here tonight with a very vocal support. They backed us all the way and thankfully we were able to get a goal for them. Next week we'll be hoping for more of the same and hopefully they can back us to a victory.”
