The scene at the end was an assault on the senses.
A riot of noise and colour in the visiting end of Easter Road.
A mass outpouring of joy and relief.
Once the dust had begun to settle, a thought flashed through Claudio Braga’s mind. If this is what it’s like when Hearts beat Hibs — what on earth will happen if they do manage to clinch the title?
‘I actually thought about that last night,’ smiled the Portuguese forward. ‘We were celebrating because we won a derby, which is really important. Then you realise that if we win something bigger, it could be even more.’
We might be less than three weeks from finding out. With just four games left to play, Derek McInnes’ side are in an enviable position.
Kyziridis, Braga, Kabore and Kerjota (left to right) celebrate victory at Easter Road
Hearts forward Braga has embraced his time at Hearts and is up for PFA Player of the Year
Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland is also on the four-man PFA Player of the Year shortlist
Having finally seen off nine-man Hibs, they restored their lead on Celtic to three points while extending their advantage over a stumbling Rangers side to four.
Some 41 years have passed since a side from outwith the Old Firm became champions of Scotland. For Hearts, the wait stretches back to 1960.
Little wonder that the enormity of what’s now within their grasp needs underscoring from those who know the lie of this land.
‘We talk a lot with the Scottish players about it,’ added Braga. ‘It’s something almost unthinkable. They tell us, “You’re not even aware of what this means”. We think we understand, but I don’t think we really do.
‘It would be like when Leicester won the league. Probably something similar.’
His growing appreciation of the scale of the potential achievement has come through a growing interest from his homeland.
It’s not just the Scottish public and media who have been conditioned to believe that Celtic and Rangers’ stranglehold on the title is something that could never be loosened. Far and wide, heads are being turned.
‘It’s already a big story,’ Braga explained. ‘A lot of people in Portugal are talking about it, and in other countries in Europe and beyond.
‘It’s been quite new for me. I’ve never had this level of interest from Portugal before. When I played in Norway there was some attention, but now it’s much bigger.
‘It’s interesting. They’re even showing Hearts games on TV in Portugal, which wouldn’t normally happen.
‘I don’t know if it’s because I’m Portuguese and playing here, but it’s recognition from my country, which is something to be proud of. It will be even bigger if we become champions.’
The coming weeks may well see a battalion of camera crews and reporters alighting on Gorgie Road. Next up Rangers, then Motherwell, Falkirk and Celtic. Four steps which stand between this group of players and immortality.
It’s fair to say that Braga’s expectations have changed a little since he first signed from Norwegian side Aalesund last summer.
Asked what would have constituted a good season back then, he smiled; ‘I don’t know. Maybe win a cup? I wanted to get a cup with the club, get some silverware.
‘Then, of course, try to get top three, score some goals and have a good season. Honestly, I just wanted to try to play.
Braga scored an important goal earlier in the season against Livingston
‘That’s what I thought at the beginning: Fight for my place first and then we’ll see. That was the mindset. Now it’s just different.’
That’s something of an understatement from the PFA Scotland Player of the Year nominee. Braga’s 17 goals alone would have endeared him to the Hearts supporters. His infectious personality has only strengthened the bond.
‘It’s very important,’ he said. ‘The guys joke about it in the dressing room, but for me it matters. It gives me motivation. I feel like I can run more, push harder, get more energy from them.’
The joys he brings them is obvious. It’s manifest in song. In every sense, they are his supporters.
‘I’m here alone, but I came to play football,’ Braga explained. ‘Football is going well, so everything else is good. If my family is okay and football is okay, I’m okay.
‘I’ve lived in other places like Norway, which were harder to adjust to. But if football is going well, everything feels easier.’
Having entered the pre-split fixtures with a one-point advantage, how Hearts got the job done on Sunday was of no concern. All that mattered was they ballasted their position.
There will also be no bonus points for artistic merit in the assignments which lie in wait.
‘It was horrible to play that game in a way. Horrible,’ Braga said of the win over Hibs. ‘You feel the pressure more when you’re against nine men. You think: “We need to score, this should be easy”.
‘They (Hibs) did their job well, and we could have done ours a bit better, but in the end, it worked out. Nobody cares now because we won and that’s all that matters.
‘We had five finals. With finals, you don’t play them, you win them, like Jose Mourinho says. That’s what we needed to do and we did it.
Kyziridis (left) and Braga savour an Edinburgh derby victory away at Easter Road
‘Honestly, if we win, I don’t care how the games feel.’
Hearts won’t win the title if they see off Rangers next Monday, but that outcome would all but remove Danny Rohl’s men from the equation.
Braga feels the sense of belief among the group is only now growing.
‘Most of the confidence comes from being top of the table almost the whole season,’ he said. ‘We just need to keep doing the same things.
‘We’re not known for playing the best football or tiki-taka, but we’re known for pushing our limits and working for each other. We act like a family on the pitch, and that’s what got us here. We just need to keep that going.
‘We shouldn’t be afraid of anyone. We look everyone in the eye, especially at Tynecastle where we haven’t lost. It doesn’t matter who we play. We just focus on ourselves.’
He’ll make a rare exception come Sunday, though, when Celtic travel to Easter Road. As things stand, Martin O’Neill’s men look to be the biggest threat to Hearts’ ambitions. For one day only, McInnes men will be rooting for their city rivals.
‘A Hibs fan is a strong word!’ Braga smiled. ‘But I’ll probably want them to do some damage.’
