St Patrick's Athletic (0)

St Patrick's Athletic 0 - Skonto FC 2

St Patricks Athletic exited the Europa League at the first hurdle after being out mustered and out thought in Richmond Park.

Jermolajevs 37th minute sucker punch and Arturs Karasausks 57th minute penalty sealed a victory for the Lativan's seeing Pat's go out 4 - 1 on aggregate.

Liam Buckley's side lacked their usual flowing attacking football and their lack of real cutting edge was capitalised on by the strong and organised visitors to Inchicore.

The game opened as a typical Europa League return leg, both sides feeling each other out while both snapping in with some crisp tackles.

It took 15 minutes for the first opening, Edgars Jermolajevs curled free kick, just wide of the Pats goal after Ger O'Brien had pulled Karasusks down after a long ball clearance.

Conan Byrne rattled the Skonto goal frame five minutes later, his 20-yard free the wrong side of the Skonto goal, the closest Pats had mustered.

Chris Forrester was denied by the head of Renars Rode just moments later as Pats suddenly showed a confident fluency in attack.

Forrester weaved into the box, holding off Sorokins and Sminovs, Skonto 'keeper Pavlos blocking the cheeky left foot poke. Forrester immediately looked to chip the rebound home, Rode heading off the line.

Pavlovs was alert on 32 minutes, tipping Killian Brennan's 30-yard free kick over the bar, as the Saints grew in confidence in front of the Riga goal.

Loose defending which was Pat's undoing in the first leg, saw them go behind on the night.
Jermolajevs looping cross from the right touchline, found Vladislavs Sorokins free at the back post, who headed across Brendan Clarke into the side net.

Riga's 37th minute strike meant that Pats needed to find two goal, to force extra time, with the Saints looking blunt as the first half closed.

Pats showed their intent from the restart, just 70 seconds elapsed when Ian Bermingham snapped a volley high over the Skonto goal.

Riga's deep lying central midfield pair of Igors Kozlovs and Ian Murillo, closed down the Richmond Park pitch, denying Buckley's side space to attack from deep.

The game went from bad to worse for the Saints on 57 minutes with Lee Desmond adjudged to have handled Kozlovs' cross ahead of Gutkovskis' header.

It was a tough decision on the Pats central defender as Arturs Karasausks calmly smashed the spot-kick past the extended dive of Brendan Clarke.

The penalty all but ended the tie as a contest with St Pats now requiring four goals to progress to the second qualifying round.

Killian Brennan saw his 25-yard left-footed volley batted away by Pavlovs, Pats unable to knit together their usual flowing attacking moves.

Buckley shuffled his pack entering the final quarter introducing Jamie McGrath and Morgan Langley for the unimpressive strike force of Fagan and Greene.

The visitors showed a confident swagger and threatened the Pats goal, looking to put icing on the cake as they progress to a tie with Hungarian's Debrecen.

Substitute Jamie McGrath was desperately unlucky with 17 minutes remaining, having raced onto Forrester's slick through ball, McGrath's deft flick over Pavlovs finding the bottom of the post.

Forrester's follow up run and shot, sailed over the Skonto Riga goal, reeking of desperation as Pats searched for a way back into the tie.

Pavlovs displayed expert reflexes 10 minutes from the end to keep Bermingham's snap volley out, Bermingham having raced onto Byrne's teasing cross.

Byrne found the net on 86 minutes but it was ruled out for offside.

© rte.ie

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St Patrick's Athletic 0 - Skonto FC 2

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