Euro heartbreak for Bohs

ON A rollercoaster of a night at Dalymount Park, the League of Ireland kingpins were just three minutes away from going through to the next round of the Champions’ League when, having kept Red Bull Salzburg comprehensively under wraps for the vast majority of this second leg game, a moment of human error undid all their good work both in Dublin and Salzburg.

Full-back Mark Rossiter was the unfortunate architect of his side’s downfall when, in the 87th minute – and with Bohs still ahead in the tie on the away goal – he failed to deal with a routine angled ball into the box, his tentative backward header allowing Salzburg substitute Patrik Jezek to steal in behind him and nod the dropping ball over the advancing Brian Murphy for the killer goal.

The sense of deflation all around Dalymount Park was acute as, along with Pat Fenlon and his players, the fans counted the cost of an undeserved European exit – one which robs Bohemians not only of a meeting with Dynamo Zagreb next week but also a guaranteed fall-back place in the Europa League. For a club whose future is uncertain, the blow of this defeat was both financial and emotional.