St Patrick’s Athletic have successfully progressed to the third round of the Conference League by defeating FC Vaduz 2-2. This victory was achieved through the first-time effective goals of Zach Elbouzedi and Romal Palmer for St. Patrick’s Athletic, amidst the stifling Liechtenstein heat and skilfully implemented game strategy.
They are now preparing to face off with the Azerbaijani team, FC Sabah, who emerged victorious over Maccabi Haifa after an exhilarating second showdown in Baku. Despite initially being down by three goals, Maccabi Haifa managed to score six times and equalised the aggregate score. However, FC Sabah won the penalty shootout by 3-2.
St Patrick’s have confirmed their relocation for the forthcoming “home” leg to Tallaght Stadium, and they have assured the minimum prize money valued at approximately €900,000 from Uefa.
Despite the pressure applied by around 350 fans of St. Patrick’s, they managed to thwart an attempted early breakthrough by Vaduz when their skipper, Nicolas Hasler, misfired.
The Dublin side rallied, however, and their performance improved subsequently. Jake Mulraney was able to challenge goaltender Leon Schaffran following a foul on Mason Melia by Sandro Wieser.
St. Patrick’s stumbled as they went behind in the match on the 22nd minute due to a foul at their end. When Axel Sjoberg clumsily tripped Lorik Emini inside the box, Fabrizio Cavegn managed to score a penalty, despite Joseph Anang’s best efforts to stop it.
The team continued to face perilous situations, nearly being scored upon again at the 25th minute. However, their situation improved when a superb goal was scored by their side during the 28th minute, thanks to a successful attack by Mulraney and Elbouzedi. The former passed the ball to the latter who, in turn, masterfully shot it into the net. This marks an important victory in the progress of St. Patrick’s Athletic.
In the early moments of the second half, Mulraney pressed home keeper Schaffran with an outstanding sprint and shot, leading to Grivosti proceeding to shoot wide during the consequential corner, providing St Pat’s a tactical advantage.
Vaduz, however, managed to retake the lead of the match in minute 75, courtesy of Cavegn’s powerful low-drive goal which slipped past Ananag. But it was St Pat’s who ended up triumphing overall, securing their victory at the 81-minute mark. The remarkable skills of substitute Leavy down the right flank facilitated Palmer, the midfielder, in securing a clean finish from 10 yards.
FC Vaduz squad: Schaffran played in goal; Beeli (Martens, was put on the pitch at minute 72), Simani, Berisha, N. Hasler (replaced by Hammerich, at minute 76); Del Toro, Weiser, Emini (substituted by Eberhard, at minute 78); Cavegn, Navarro (substituted by De Donno at Minute 67), Schwiser.
St Patrick’s Athletic team: Anang in the goal position; Sjoberg, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Lennon; Palmer (replaced by McClelland, at minute 85), Forrester (substituted by Bolger at minute 50); Elbouzedi (put Leavy on at minute 63), Melia (substituted by C. Kavanagh, at minute 85), Mulraney (replaced by Kazeem, minute 63).
Match Referee: Ashot Ghaltakhchyan from Armenia.