Europa League qualifiers:It may not have been the result the performance deserved but, once they pick themselves up from the disappointment of conceding deep into injury-time, Sporting Fingal can take no small measure of confidence into next week's Europa League second leg.
The Dublin side went down 3-2 against Maritimo with Tchô scoring the winner five minutes into injury time for the Portuguese side. But with two away goals in the bank, Sporting still have a fighting chance of progressing to the third round.
Glen Crowe has scored some important goals in a long and illustrious career and tonight’s strike will rank right up there as he opened the scoring on 33 minutes.
Thereafter, Sporting repelled everything Maritimo threw at them until Ricardo Esteves finally drew the home side level 12 minutes from time before Cherrard put the favourites in front in the 85th minute.
That lead was short-lived, however, as Lorcan Fitzgerald brought Sporting back on terms, only for Tchô to break the visitors hearts with the last kick of the game.
Elsewhere, Dundalk’s European campaign is as good as over after they suffered a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Levski Sofia this evening.
Dundalk were undone as early as the 12th minute, Hristo Yovov making the breakthrough, and when Daniel Mladenov doubled the home side’s lead a couple of minutes later the writing was on the wall for Ian Foster’s men.
After that, it became a matter of damage limitation but time and again the Dundalk defence was breached by the classy Bulgarians. Garra Dembele made it 3-0 before the break and a second from Mladenov and a late brace from Ismail Isa left their hopes dead in the water.
And on a mixed night for the Irish clubs in Europe, Shamrock Rovers came from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 with Bnei Yehuda. Omri Afek grabbed the all-important away goal for the Israeli side who will take now some beating back in their Tel Aviv home.