St Patrick's Athletic - 1 NK Rijeka - 0Agg: 3-3. St Patrick's won on away goalsA goal from their Ugandan striker Charles Mbabazi Livingstone earned St Patrick's their first ever win in European club competition and with it a place in the second round of the InterToto Cup against Belgian side KAA Gent next week.
It marked a happy day all round for the Inchicore club who also presented themselves with a trophy for winning the league last season following an agreement reached with the National League late last week which also sees their players being given championship winning medals. Shelbourne remain the official champions, however, as part of the deal to finally sort out last season's registration rows.
Paul Donnelly deserves much credit for the only goal of yesterday's game on 23 minutes that saw St Patrick's through on the away goal rule. The midfielder, the only change from the first leg in Croatia, won the ball to thread it through as Rijeka stepped out to play an offside. The flag stayed down, however, and Mbabazi was in to round goalkeeper Matko Kalinic and shoot home.
Earlier, Shay Kelly had to be alert from the kick-off to keep the tie alive as St Patrick's chased a 3-2 deficit. The goalkeeper was called into action after just 15 seconds when palming out a stinging shot from Blendi Shkembi for a corner. Seven minutes later Kelly had to parry a powerfully stuck free kick from Andre Mijatovic with Natko Racki's overhead kick follow-up going narrowly over the crossbar.
Having fallen behind, Rijeka pressed for the remainder of the half, forcing nine corners, but they could find no way past Kelly who made several crucial stops, the pick of them from Racki on 39 minutes.
Two minutes later a lightning counterattack almost brought a second St Parick's goal. McCarthy got away onto Mbabazi's ball down the right to pick out the in-rushing Martin Russell whose spectacular first-time left-foot drive was a whisker over the crossbar.
St Patrick's defended well throughout the second half and might have added a second goal themselves on the break in the 64th minute, but Ger McCarthy's indecision meant the opening was spurned.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: S Kelly; Croly, Maguire, Foley, Burke; Donnelly, Osam, Griffin (Bird 52), Russell; Mbabazi (Hughes 88), McCarthy.
NK REJIKA: Kalinic; Skocibusic, Mijatovic, Ivancic; Vincetic, G Brajkovic, Shkembi (Mikac 71), Mestrovic (M Brajkovic 79), Caval; Racki, Klic.
Referee: G Hovannisyan (Armenia).
