Hearts Conference League clash in Thun halted due to pyro as pitch engulfed in smoke

Hearts' Europa Conference League match at FC Thun was halted for eight minutes after home fans' pyrotechnics engulfed the pitch in smoke, reducing visibility to near zero.

Hearts' Europa Conference League clash at FC Thun got off to a chaotic start when home fans set off pyrotechnics shortly after kick-off, filling one end of the pitch with smoke. Visibility was reduced to near zero, making the Thun goal invisible even on television, forcing Cypriot referee Kyriakos Athanasiou to halt play. Both teams were forced to warm up again in one half of the pitch while officials waited for the smoke to clear. After approximately eight minutes, visibility was deemed sufficient to restart the match with Hearts awarded an attacking throw-in. Josh McPake nearly opened the scoring from the resulting play but Thun keeper Niklas Steffen made a near-post save.