Heart of Midlothian took a giant step towards realising their dream of lifting the Scottish Premier League title on Monday, after beating fellow contenders Rangers 2-1 at Tynecastle Park.
The win, which maintains Hearts’ three-points lead over Celtic at the top with three matches remaining, came the day after news broke that forward Cláudio Braga had been named PFA Premiership Player of the Year for his contribution to the cause.
The reports of Braga’s award spread on Sunday evening, after which Hearts took to the field on Monday and defeated Rangers, essentially eliminating their opponents from the title race to take a huge step towards glory. Also on Sunday evening, Braga was named Players’ Player of the Year at the Edinburgh club’s end of season awards ceremony.
Braga has been a revelation in Scottish football since joining from Norwegian side Aalesunds last summer. The Porto native has scored 14 goals in the Scottish top flight – putting him third in the top scorers list for the division – while also contributing three assists as Hearts emerged as surprise league leaders for most of the campaign.
“It’s a prize that everybody would like to win, of course,” Braga told Sky Sports ahead of the victory over Rangers. “I’m really, really happy, [it was] not expected when I came here. Luckily as the team is playing really good, that helped me to perform well also, so thank you very much.
“I think the way we play fits me. The guys around the locker room, the staff, coaches, gaffer – everybody believes in me and trusts me and gives me confidence. So, I just try to do my football and luckily the football that I play suits Hearts’ football. The guys helped me a lot and that was the part that I fit the most.
“The league title challenge? Yes [laughs] that is the most important matter.”
The three matches separating Hearts from destiny begin with a trip to Motherwell next week, after which they host Falkirk on Wednesday 13th May, followed by what could be an epic trip to defending champions Celtic on the final day, where Hearts will be hoping to seal a first league title in 66 years.
♥️ "The guys in the locker room, the staff, the coach, everyone believes in me and trusts me"
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 4, 2026
Hear from PFA Premiership Player of the Year Claudio Braga ahead of Hearts vs Rangers, live on Sky from 5pm 📺 pic.twitter.com/UJ75d8l89E
