Dinamo Minsk 1
St Patrick’s Athletic 1
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC came from behind to draw the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie with Dinamo Minsk this evening.
The Saints, who progressed past Jeunnesse Esch of Luxembourg in the last round, travelled to the Belarus capital to face the team that finished runners-up in their domestic league last season.
Billy Dennehy headed over from a Keith Treacy cross early on but it was Dinamo who had the better of the chances and they went in front after 25 minutes.
Yuri Ostroukh fed Gleb Rassadkin down the left flank, and he picked out 37-year-old Vladimir Korytko, who opened up his body before curling the ball brilliantly past Brendan Clarke.
The home side went into the half-time break with that one-goal advantage, but Liam Buckley’s men hit back nine minutes into the second half.
Clarke’s kick-out was headed into the path of Ian Bermingham, and the full-back found Fagan in a central before the striker finished expertly from the edge of the box.
There was bad news for Pat’s shortly afterwards as Fagan was forced off through injury with 12 minutes on the clock.
Clarke had a couple of routine saves to make before final whistle but the Saints take a valuable away goal back to Inchicore for next week’s return leg.
DINAMO MINSK: Ignatovich, Habovda, Noyok, Kaplenko, Ostroukh, Zhukovski (c) (Rotković 70), Bykov, Premudrov, Korytko (Shramchenko 79), Khvaschinski (El Monir 57), Rassadkhin.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Clarke, O’Brien (c), D Dennehy, Hoare, Bermingham, B Dennehy, Treacy (Cawley 73), G Kelly, Byrne, Fagan (Corcoran 78), Timlin (Verdon 78).
Referee: Igor Stojiljkovic (Serbia).
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