St Pat’s bow out of Europe as they fail to find finishing touch
Skonto Riga sent St Patrick’s Athletic tumbling out of the Europa League at the first hurdle last night with a clinical display at Richmond Park.
Vladislavs Sorokins disrupted the script by nodding the visitors ahead seven minutes before the break and a penalty from Arturs Karasausks, albeit awarded in dubious circumstances, settled the contest just short of the hour.
Needing the opener to square the tie up and lead on away goals, St Pat’s boss Liam Buckley had emphasised the importance to his players of remaining patient against a side that scored both their goals last week in Latvia on the counter-attack.
That they did but the sluggish pace to the Saints attack resulted in scant clearcut chances in the first half and left them dependent on Conan Byrne’s free-kicks for service.
Although Byrne’s return to the side following a five-week injury lay-off provided width, apart from Chris Forrester’s 21st-minute effort which was cleared off the line by Renars Rode, goalkeeper Andrejs Pavlovs enjoyed a trouble-free opening half.
Instead, Skonto profited from the first chance they created on 38 minutes.
There seemed little danger when Edgars Jermolajevs hugged the right touchline with two defenders nearby, yet his cross floated all the way to the back post where Sorokins snuck in past Byrne to angle a header into the far corner past Brendan Clarke.
Whilst that concession stunned Richmond Park into silence, the home side responded well immediately after the break by forcing a succession of corners.
Pavlovs, a giant in the Skonto goal, held firm amid the barrage and he was relieved to see his side effectively kill the tie off with a second goal on 59 minutes.
Polish referee Tomasz Musiat adjudged Lee Desmond to have shoved Vladislavs Gutkovskis inside the penalty box in what appeared an innocuous challenge, leaving Karasausks to side-foot the resultant penalty into the right corner.
As is often the case in such situations, it was only when Pat’s required three goals that they began to stretch the Latvians.
Substitute Jamie McGrath struck the post with a close-range shot, Ian Bermingham’s volley drew a superb save from Pavlovs while, five minutes from the finish, Byrne had the ball in the net only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Not for the first time in Europan competition, it was a case of poor finishing, especially in last week’s away leg, which proved to be the undoing of the Saints.
Clarke; O’Brien, Desmond, Browne, Bermingham; Forrester, Bolger, Brennan; Byrne, Fagan (McGrath 65), Greene (Langley 65).
Pavlovs; Timofejevs, Smirnovs, Rode, Sorokins; Kozlovs, Murillo (Isajevs 77); Jermolajevs, Kovalovs, Karasausks (Ivanovs 83); Gutkovskis (Visnakovs 64).
T Musiat (PLN)
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