Fagan Pat’s hero again
Striker Fagan, who also scored in last week’s 1-1 draw in Bosnia, pounced to rifle home from close range in the 105th minute after skipper Conor Kenna nodded down a free kick from James Chambers.
The victory, St Patrick’s fifth successive win in Inchicore in Europe, will see Liam Buckley’s men take on the German side at Tallaght Stadium next Thursday with the return in Hannover the following week. The win is worth an extra €€100,000 in prize money from UEFA with German TV likely to pay well to scene the first leg live.
Unchanged from the first leg, St Pat’s started a little nervously as Široki Brijeg took the early initiative, Brazilian-born Ricardo Baiano blazing over the top on four minutes.
St Pat’s gradually settled to take the game to their visitors and might have been ahead on 26 minutes. Široki Brijeg keeper Luka Bilobrk parried a header from Greg Bolger from a Chambers free-kick with Fagan then adjudged to have fouled Mateo Bertosa as he tried to get to the rebound.
Bilobrk didn’t look sure of himself at all and he failed to gather another Chambers free kick on 33 minutes before smothering the loose ball at the feet of Chris Forrester.
St Pat’s deservedly took the lead on 39 minutes. Bilobrk flapped at a Sean O’Connor cross which Forrester drilled low back across the goal. Fagan got a touch before midfielder John Russell shot into an empty net from inside the six yard box.
But the Bosnian side levelled on 65 minutes. Skipper Dalibo Silic whipped in a corner kick and big central defender Ivica Dzidic powered a towering header to the roof of the net.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O’Brien, Kenna, Browne, Bermingham; Russell, Chambers, Bolger; Forrester (J. Kelly, 105), Fagan (Flood, 111), O’Connor (Meenan, 89)
NK ŠIROKI BRIJEG: Bilobrk; Coric, I. Dzidic (D Dzidic, 85), Jese, Bertosa; Zlomislic, Wagner; Baiano (Ivankovic, 85), Kordic, Bloudek (Roskam, 63), Kordic.
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Germany).
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