NŠ Mura 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 0 (1-1 on aggregate, St Pat’s win 6-5 on penalties)
St Patrick’s Athletic defeated NŠ Mura in a tense penalty shoot-out at Fazanerija City Stadium to progress into the third qualifying round of the Uefa Europa Conference League.
Tied 1-1 following last week’s opening leg at Richmond Park, neither team could find a breakthrough over the course of 120 minutes in Murska Sobota. Two misses apiece meant the shoot-out went to sudden death, but the Saints finally advanced after Mura substitute Tio Cipot skied his effort over the crossbar.
The visitors had a golden opportunity to open the scoring on 25 minutes as Barry Cotter headed over from close range, but Joseph Anang’s subsequent point-blank save from Mura attacker Mirlind Daku ensured the deadlock was unbroken at the interval.
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Although the dismissal of Mura substitute Matic Maruško on 72 minutes – for lashing out at Chris Forrester – seemingly handed the initiative to Pat’s, the hosts responded admirably and an additional half-hour of action was required.
The Slovenians remained threatening in spite of their numerical deficiency and it took some heroics from Anang and Anto Breslin to keep the hosts at bay.
Tim Clancy’s Saints dominated possession in the second half of extra-time, but it was going to take a battle of wits from 12 yards to produce an outcome. Eoin Doyle, Ronan Coughlan, Jason McClelland, Thijs Timmermans, Serge Atakayi and Joe Redmond all fired past Matko Obradović, while Anang superbly turned away a Mihael Klepač strike.
Barry Cotter and Tim Grivosti couldn’t convert from the spot, but St Pat’s got the job done nonetheless.
NŠ MURA: Obradović; Beganović, K Cipot, Morris, Pucko (Majić, 119 mins); Lorbek (Klepač, 62 mins), Bobičanec; Kous (Šroler, 86 mins), Petković (T Cipot, 62 mins), Shabanhaxhaj (Maruško, 62 mins); Daku.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; Brockbank, Grivosti, Redmond; Cotter, O’Reilly (McClelland, 115 mins), Lennon (Timmermans, 62 mins), Forrester (Coughlan, 86 mins), Breslin; E Doyle, King (Atakayi, 69 mins).
Referee: U Schnyder (Switzerland).
