St Patrick's Athletic (2) - F91 Diddeleng (3)

St Patrick's Athletic 2 - F91 Diddeleng 3

An Oege-Sietse van Lingen hat-trick earned F91 Diddeleng a 3-2 win (5-3 on aggregate) over St Patrick's Athletic in the Europa Conference League, but it was a remarkable own goal conceded by the Luxembourgers which will live longest in the memory.

Pat's enjoyed a memorable run in Europe last year and, while this game had as much drama as half a dozen others that have been played in Inchicore, it resulted in the Dubliners' departure at the first stage of the competition.

The punters in a sold-out but seats-only crowd enjoyed excellent value for money, but the vast majority left deflated.

They saw lots to suggest a bright future for Pat's but this reverse will make a dent in their spending budget for the near future.

Moreover, Pat's showed relative inexperience as a side, something Jon Daly - their inexperienced coach - will ruminate on over the next few days.

The first half was a concoction of pretty much everything bar menace. It was like a cup tie, the home side needing to score but exceptionally vulnerable out of possession.

Daly went with a little more experience after the out-of-jail 2-1 reverse last week. In came Thijs Timmermans into midfield, replacing Ben McCormack. On the bench were 15-year-old Mason Melia and another teenager in Adam Murphy.

That last-breath Mark Doyle goal in the first leg gave Pat's a real chance here against a side still in pre-season mode.

Free-scoring Chris Forrester began in the mood, bamboozling the visitors down the left early and winning a corner, the crowd already raucous.

Three minutes later, the Smithfield native had visiting keeper Didier Desprez - more on him anon - scrambling.

However, the pocket of visiting fans on the halfway line were celebrating on eight minutes. A nice move exposed Saints down the left and, after Samir Hadji found some space, he laid off for Van Lingen, who found the net with the help of the bar.

Hadji's header on 14 minutes was cleared off the line by Jamie Lennon. Suddenly, Saints seemed easy to penetrate, Van Lingen driving over on 16 minutes, and the visitors' confidence grew.

A goalmouth melee of epic proportions followed really sloppy Saints play on 19 minutes. Dean Lyness' goal somehow survived and the Dubliners were hugging the ropes at this stage.

The towering Hadji then worked Lyness, who has made a significant difference since joining Daly's men.

If the Pat's melee was a candidate for a hit for years to come on social media, the equaliser had more viral quality. Desprez badly misjudged a deflected ball in the air, getting ahead of it and ineptly heading it back towards his own goal. The crowd was on its feet awaiting a goal and it arrived - if only after the ball bounced off the bar, against a retreating defender but adjudged to have been over the line regardless. You could not make it up.

Lyness, on the other hand, had to make two excellent saves towards the death of a a madcap opening 25 minutes.

Finally Pat's worked Jake Mulraney into the narrative and he flashed a cross beyond everyone.

A lovely ball from Lennon was killed by Conor Carthy but he really should have done better, Desprez saving and again from Doyle's follow-up.

Superb play on the right from Mulraney set up a glorious chance again for Saints on 37 minutes but the ball just eluded Carty. Breathless stuff.

Daly clearly felt his side were much too easy to get through - hence a couple of half-time changes.

A sweet left-footed Forrester cross found Carty, who headed over.

Daly's half-time changes entailed Sam Curtis switching to the right and Murphy switching to centre stage. This kid has so much talent and, sensing Desprez was weak on his left-hand side, he smashed home on the hour mark to level the tie.

There had to be no drama and, alas, it was the Luxembourg side who went back ahead on aggregate. Another half-time sub, David Norman Jr, played a needlessly risky pass that might have exposed a high Diddeleng press but instead proved disastrous. Suddenly it was five on two and, once again, Van Lingen's finish screamed composure.

The Dutchman, an off-season signing, then sensed a hat-trick but Lyness got down to make a comfortable save.

The visitors would end the game with 10 men, a second yellow seeing Ismael Sibide walk with two minutes to go.

Injury time entailed over seven minutes of faint hope for Saints, but they ran out of gas, and Van Lingen should have sealed the deal but dragged wide, Lyness beaten.

Lyness was beaten again by Van Lingen soon afterwards, only this time the net was bulging.

Saint Patrick's Athletic:

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St Patrick's Athletic 2 - F91 Diddeleng 3

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