Shamrock Rovers fall to narrow defeat but tie still alive for home leg

On a terribly patchy surface in Slovenia the visitors, who were dealt a massive blow with the news that in-form striker Johnny Kenny would potentially be out for the next couple of weeks through injury, tried their best to adapt to the conditions.

STILL ALIVE: Shamrock Rovers’ Aaron Greene dejected after the game. Picture: ©INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic

Europa League: NK Celje 1 (Menalo 34') Shamrock Rovers 0

Shamrock Rovers fell to the narrowest of defeats in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round, but if the plan was to keep the tie alive, Stephen Bradley and his charges did exactly that, setting up a mouthwatering return leg in Tallaght next Thursday.