SPL: Hearts clinched a Champions League place for the first time with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen tonight, denying Rangers who must now settle for a place in the Uefa Cup.
Paul Hartley scored the winner with a second-half penalty after Abderdeen defender Zander Diamond handled on the line and escaped with just a yellow card from referee Stuart Dougal.
With one game left Hearts have 74 points from 37 games and cannot be caught by third-placed Rangers who have 70 after their 2-1 win over Hibernian last night. Aberdeen's Scott Severin was sent off for a two-footed lunge at Bruno Aguilar with 11 minutes left at Tynecastle.
Elsewhere, Celtic duo Maciej Zurawski and Stanislav Varga bagged second-half goals to end Kilmarnock's faint Uefa Cup hopes.
Zurawski grabbed his 20th goal of the season to signal the end of the Rugby Park club's dream of a fourth-placed finish. Varga, who is out of contract in the summer, also hit the target to strengthen his hopes of landing a new deal this summer.
