Pat's cry foul as CSKA turn the tables in Tallaght
BULGARIAN SPLIT: Pats’ manager Tim Clancy on the pitch as both teams clash after the game
On the hottest week of the year, St Patrick’s Athletic couldn’t prevent their European campaign freezing over.
The last time CSKA Sofia overturned a first-leg deficit was 17 years ago when they came back to defeat Liverpool and they looked similarly overjoyed to see off the Saints.
A free header from Mauricio Garcez De Jesus on 12 minutes levelled it up in the tie and Ivan Turitsov’s penalty with 10 minutes left clinched the Bulgarians a Conference League play-off against Basel next week.
Saints boss Tim Clancy was left furious at the decision to penalise Harry Brockbank for handball, a contact he couldn’t avoid from close range.
“It was handball by their player first,” he fumed.
That wasn’t the end of the drama. A fiery match of nine bookings — one of CSKA’s seven being an unused substitute — ended with Bradley De Noojier receiving a straight red card after the final whistle following a melee.
St Pat’s midfielder Jamie Lennon provided his insight on the post-match fracas.
“I think it was just frustration from the players. Their man (De Noojier) was celebrating in front of our fans and I don’t really like that.
“Looking back it’s probably a compliment to us. They were probably rubbing their hands after the Mura game, the fact that it was us, they were probably thinking it would be easy to get through play-offs.”
Serge Atakayi had shocked CSKA in last week’s first leg by beating Gustavo Busatto in a footrace to pocket the only goal but it didn’t earn a start in the rematch for the hero.
Tim Clancy prioritised continuity, seeking to replicate the blueprint that frustrated a side of superior resources and who reached last year’s Europa League group phase yet sufficiently ring-rusty in early season to be liable to a counterattack.
It was a masterclass mission of a first-leg, similar to the job they perfected on the road in the previous round against Slovenians NS Mura, emphasising solidity and reliant on an intuitive forward line to pounce when the gaps appeared.
Holding the lead at the midway point, there was merit in maintaining the approach – even at home before a crowd of near 7,000 baying for more goals.
Early indications illustrated they could succeed but switching off from the first set-piece was a lapse even the most stringent of tactical approaches undermined.
Just inside the 12th minute, all looked under control as Thibaut Vion’s stood over a corner from the left side. Speed of thought is commensurate with agility in body and the Saints were outfoxed as visiting players interchanged to leave Jamie Lennon scrambling to shadow Mauricio Garcez De Jesus.
That momentary blunder proved costly, for the Brazilian had all the time in the world to rise from the rehearsed move and power his downward header past Joseph Anang.
Once was bad but a repeat would have been indefensible. Ivan Turitsov exposed the hosts again on 21 minutes from a right-wing cross but De Jesus wasn’t so clinical with his feet, veering his volley from 10 yards off-target.
Busatto was called into action for the first time three minutes later, stooping low to deny Adam O’Reilly’s shot with his feet. The South American almost committed a blunder 28 minutes, leaving it late to palm Joe Redmond’s cross-shot from under his crossbar out for a corner. Corkman O’Reilly went close again approaching the interval, as the FAI Cup holders remained competitive.
All they had to do was remain patient and capitalise to retake the tie lead. Billy King was unable to do so shortly after the restart, miscontrolling a pass over the top that dissected the Bulgarians’s defence.
That, however, was nothing compared to the opportunity with 17 minutes left. Chris Forrester’s wizardry has been a hallmark of this European campaign and even on one of his quieter nights, the midfielder had the vision to pick out Anto Breslin sprinting into the box from his left wing-back berth.
If only the finish matched the cross. Breslin, in unfamiliar territory, scuffed his shot, and the danger was cleared.
Atakayi was eventually sprung from the bench – to rapturous applause – and in his first foray on 76 minutes, drove past his marker and drew Busatto into a one-handed save.
Although O’Reilly anticipated the rebound, the livewire couldn’t direct his first-time shot inside the post. His night went from bad to worse as Clancy confirmed the schemer on loan from Preston North End also incurred a red card in the aftermath skirmish.
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