Hearts played well despite their defeat to Heidenheim in the Conference League.
During the first half at Tynecastle, it was the Jambos who looked the most likely to score as they played on the front foot and tried to attack their Bundesliga opponents.
That led to 10 shots compared to the visitors’ three in the first period but the one thing that was lacking was that cutting edge and composure in and around the box.
The Scottish Premiership side passed up plenty of opportunities to open the scoring which could have led to another big European result after wins over Dinamo Minsk and Omonia.
As it is they still have a very respectable six points from a possible nine and will still be targeting progression.
Shankland shoulders Hearts responsibility
Captain Lawrence Shankland is not playing at the top of his game right now.
The 29-year-old rattled in over 50 goals in his first two seasons at Hearts as everything he touched turned to gold.
This season he has found the net just once, a headed equaliser against Ross County.
His all-round game has still been there in most games, with four assists chalked up, but as long as this drought goes on his confidence seems to drain more and more.
Shankland was probably the most guilty last night and had a chance to put the Jambos in front in the early stages, but gave Kevin Muller a pretty comfortable save.
There were further opportunities for the number nine. For that reason, he is taking on the responsibility for the loss.
Shankland said: “It does feel like a missed opportunity. They are a good team playing at a good level and it was a challenge for us.
“But overall the performance was good and we created enough chances for myself.
“That one is on me. I should be sticking them away, so it’s disappointing.
“The first half was a bit gung ho and we had to go after them.
“They kept us running, but then we came back into it after a 15-minute lull in the second half.
“We finished strong and there was another good chance for me.
“Unfortunately, it’s not happening at the minute.
“The new manager wants us to be on the front foot all the time and that will take time for the team to switch.
“But we have been doing well and had some strong performances since he came in.
“This was another one and if I had taken my chances, we would have got a result.”
Neil Critchley take on Hearts defeat
Manager Neil Critchley was encouraged by the display of his side against a team from one of the top five leagues, despite their defeat.
He admits they were eventually beaten by a ruthless side but insists his men were the better team on the night with the better chances.
Critchley told TNT Sports: “We got punished by two real moments of quality. I’m disappointed with the result but not the performance. I thought we were excellent, particularly in the first half.
“You need to take your chances when you’re on top otherwise you run the risk of what happened happening. But I thought we went right to the end.
“Our intensity was good, our aggression was good, we played with real intent with and without the ball and I think you see that in the end when the supporters stayed behind and applauded the performance because sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.
“There’s a number of things I want to focus on and there’s not a lot of time between the games to work on them.
“It’s hard to sustain against good quality opposition who can keep the ball. You have to pick your moments when you can press, when you can be together and compact and wait a little bit longer to win the ball back.
“I thought they were very good physically, particularly with long balls and holding the ball up and second balls. But other than a couple of opportunities on the break, Craig has had very little to do and we’ve had the best chances in the game.
“There’s loads of positives to take for us but we’ve had a harsh lesson of what top quality European football is about.”