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Irish Independent
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Stephen Kenny relishing Europa battle against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Besiktas after Tallinn drama
Stephen Kenny says St Patrick's Athletic will see their European test with Turkish giants Besiktas – and touchline clash with their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – as an occasion to enjoy and not fear when the clubs meet in the Europa Conference League next week.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
St Pat's come from behind against Kalju to set up Besiktas clash
Kalju (Estonia) 2 (Patrikejevs 43, Männilaan 49) St Patrick's Athletic 2 (Redmond 90+1, Mulraney 93) (St Pat's win 3-2 on aggregate) Jake Mulraney and Joe Redmond goals rescued St Patrick's Athletic in Estonia, to earn the right to face Beşiktaş of Turkey next Wednesday in the Uefa Conference League third round qualifying. After a mystifying mid-game collapse, that led to goals for Kalju's Ivans Patrikejevs and Mattias Männilaan, Redmond's 91st-minute strike dragged this trip to Tallinn into extra-time. Mulraney's lucky finish secured a 3-2 win on aggregate that keeps Stephen Kenny's side on course to reach the Conference group stages and bank at least €4 million in prize money. READ MORE Beşiktaş will have something to say about that. For 40 minutes, St Pat's were coasting. Mulraney was threatening to win this second-leg on his own; Kalju could not handle the winger, especially when he turned onto his left foot to whip crosses towards Mason Melia. Uku Korre stretched to deny the Tottenham-bound teenager an easy header at the back post while Mulraney had two, albeit tame, shots on target in the opening 20 minutes. Kristjan Kask picked up where he left off at Richmond Park last week, somehow avoiding a yellow card for stamping on Jamie Lennon before the Cypriot referee Menelaos Antoniou booked him for a silly foul on Mulraney. Melia also shipped a cheap-shot to the ribs that may have contributed to his substitution at half-time. St Pat's looked the better side, by some distance, until an Patrikejevs goal levelled the tie two minutes before the break. Kalju had been struggling with the high press, where the work rate of Melia, Kian Leavy and Simon Power did not allow them to settle into any rhythm. There is no VAR in Conference League qualifiers, which ended up suiting St Pat's despite a legitimate penalty shout when Olek Musolitin bundled over Leavy on the edge of the box. Kalju had a stronger case after Tom Grivosti blatantly pushed Guilherme Smith. The rangy Brazilian collapsed but Antoniou and his officials missed it. Slowly, then all at once, the Estonians took control of the game. Kask drew a save from Joseph Anang as St Pat's concentration levels plummeted; the usually solid Lennon sprayed two passes to nobody before Barry Baggley wasted a third straight possession. Kalju came to life. Kask stormed down the left, cutting the ball back for Patrikejevs, who got his body across Baggley to make it 1-1 on aggregate. Melia attempted the spectacular in first half injury-time but his effort curled wide. It was the 17-year-old's last act on the night as he was replaced by Aidan Keena. Four minutes into the second half, Kenny's side were staring down the barrel of elimination when Männilaan scored from a free header after a cross by Nikita Ivanov. Grivosti never got off the ground. Chris Forrester, who scored a 90th winner in the first leg, was immediately sent on for Baggley. Nothing was going for St Pat's. Keena drew a good save from Maxim Pavlov before the Westmeath striker was also forced off injured. Inspiration would need to come from midfield. Forrester answered the call with some sublime touches to create shooting chances for McLaughlin and Lennon. As St Pat's poured forward, Anang made a superb, two-handed save to deny Smith. It all came down to a Mulraney free-kick in injury-time. Pavlov's tendency to flap at any ball that came near his goal continued as he punched the winger's shot towards Redmond, who finished the rebound like a centre forward. Extra-time was welcomed by a torrential downpour. It also welcomed by St Pat's rediscovering their mojo. Granted, Mulraney's decisive strike three minutes into the first half of extra-time looked like a cross. Late on, Anang showed why he was recently selected by Ghana, with two crucial interventions to send the Inchicore club to Istanbul, where they were knocked out of last season's qualifiers by Başakşehir. Kalju: Pavlov; Tarassenkov, Kõrre, Tambedou, Nikolajev; Musolitin (Orlov 112), Patrikejevs (Baptista 106), Ivanov (Marin 80), Kask (Esono 96); Männilaan, Guilherme Smith (Jabir 87). St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; McLaughlin, Redmond, Grivosti, McClelland (Breslin 96); Baggley (Forrester 51), Lennon; Mulraney (Kazeem 106), Leavy (Kavanagh 72), Power; Melia (Keena 46 (Carty 72)). Referee: Menelaos Antoniou (Cyprus).
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
What TV channel is Kalju FC vs St Patrick's Athletic on? Stream, kick-off time & odds for Conference League second leg
ST PATRICK'S Athletic face Nõmme Kalju FC in their Europa Conference League second round second leg tonight in Estonia. Stephen Kenny's side find themselves Advertisement 2 Forrester stepped up in the dying moments to put St Pat's in the driving seat 2 The 53-year-old reached the Europa League group stages when managing Dundalk in 2016 Despite Nomme Kalju being down to nine men for 20 minutes, and 10 for five before that, it took until 40 seconds before the end before . Forrester kept calm to set himself up to finish well after fellow substitute Conor Carty's initial effort had been saved following a ball through by Brandon Kavanagh. Zach Elbouzedi dribbled at speed from his own half and was cynically pulled down by Mashchenko although there was enough cover nearby for it not to warrant more than a yellow card despite it A dislocation was later confirmed with his shoulder popped back in but it is understood that the 27-year-old is facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines and will miss tonight's clash. Advertisement Read more on League of Ireland Here is everything you need to know before watching tonight's second leg: WHAT TIME IS KICK-OFF? The clash kicks-off at 5:30pm Irish time, which is 7:30pm local time in Tallinn, Estonia. HOW TO STREAM KALJU FC VS ST PAT'S? The Conference League second round game will be available to stream live on The stream is a bit more expensive than the one for the first leg as it is set at £12 (€14). Advertisement Most read in Football WHAT ARE THE ODDS? The Inchicore based side are strong favourites to win the game at 5/6. Bookmakers have set Kalju FC at 10/3 to win the second leg and a draw is 14/5. Pat's are also heavily favoured to advance to the third round at 1/9, where as the Estonian outfit are 6/1 to progress having lost the first leg 1-0. WHAT HAS BEEN SAID IN THE BUILD-UP? With a potential third round tie Advertisement The Saints boss said: "We can't assume anything. It's not inevitable, that just because Kalju are at home that they will play that way. 'We must prepare for all eventualities and we must try and establish some control on the game ourselves. 'Rather than looking for counter-attacks on the word go, we must look to establish some kind of control and try to score the first goal.' While the former Ireland boss admits they have done their homework on the two European powerhouses they could meet in the third round, he ensures this tie is far from over. Advertisement The five-time Premier Division winning manager added: 'From our point of view, we always do our preparation regardless. "One thing we're not doing ourselves is looking beyond this game. It would be foolish to do so. I think this game itself will be hard-fought. 'They are a level-headed group, they understand we are not at the level that we can dismiss anybody, Estonian teams have traditionally been tough opposition, we have to earn the right to win. 'To win in Estonia won't be easy but the players are playing well now in the last couple of weeks and really starting to take control of the games in a good way, although we need to convert more of our chances.' Advertisement
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
St Pat's aim to get Estonian job done to prolong Conference League campaign
Uefa Conference League second qualifying round, second leg Nomme Kalju (Est) (0) v St Patrick's Athletic (1), 5.45pm Irish time – Live Solidsport TV Shamrock Rovers (4) v St Joseph's (Gib) (0), Tallaght Stadium, 8pm – Live LOI TV Stephen Kenny's airtight St Patrick's Athletic face a serious challenge in the Estonian capital in the second leg of their Uefa Conference League tie. While a sixth successive clean sheet was very welcome at Richmond Park last week, St Pats needed 32 attempts on goal and two red cards for Kalju players before they were able to find the net. The goal was nice when it finally came, Chris Forrester nonchalantly arriving in the box before taking two delicate touches and poking home a 90th-minute winner. 'Chris is an exceptional footballer,' said Kenny. 'He sees pictures others do not see. Expect the unexpected when Chris plays. 'When I came in last year, he worked extremely hard in all the games. Having eight weeks out injured interrupted his flow this season, but he is an important player for us. You seen that last week.' The local media in Tallinn were keen to emphasise that last Wednesday's loss in Dublin was down to the expulsions of Rommi Siht and Danyl Mashchenko in a disastrous five-minute period in the second half. On closer inspection, the dismissals were caused by their inability to handle the pace of Kian Leavy and Jake Mulraney on counterattacks. With Zach Elbouzedi suffering a dislocated shoulder, Mulraney is expected to return to the starting line-up. 'Kalju fought to the end, as they always do, so we know we are going to have to earn everything we get.' If the Inchicore club do manage to progress, the task of reaching the Conference League proper will get significantly tougher, as they will face the winner of the Shakhtar Donetsk-Besiktas tie. The Ukrainian side take a 4-2 lead into the second leg in Turkey. Either side should have the fire power to eliminate Kenny's men. 'It would be foolish to look too far ahead,' said Kenny. 'The players are playing well in the last couple of weeks and they are starting to take control of games. Our ratio of converted chances needs to improve.' Meanwhile, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley intends to play a strong team for the second leg against St Joseph's despite winning 4-0 in Gibraltar last week. 'It's important we get the balance right between wanting to win the game, but also for our coefficient,' said Bradley. 'We can't underestimate that going forward. The more games you win, that's really important for the league as a whole.' Rovers are ranked 92nd by Uefa, which reflects their recent form in European competitions, while St Pats are 230th. Connor Malley, the Hoops' loan signing from Sligo Rovers, will be registered in time for the third round that is likely to be against Ballkani, as the Kosovo side take a 4-2 lead to Floriana in Malta.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘It's not inevitable' – Stephen Kenny warns St Pat's to ‘prepare for all eventualities' in Conference League clash
STEPHEN KENNY is looking for his side to take control this evening to avoid getting a kick in the Baltics. Whilst Kenny said: 'We can't assume anything. It's not inevitable, that just because Kalju are at home that they will play that way. 'We must prepare for all eventualities and we must try and establish some control on the game ourselves. 'Rather than looking for counter-attacks on the word go, we must look to establish some kind of control and try to score the first goal.' Read More on Stephen Kenny That is exactly what happened in the last round in nearby running out 3-0 winners on aggregate against Hegelmann. And there is no doubt that Mason Melia's early goal in the away game left St Pat's in the driving seat . Kenny said: 'That early goal was a great help to us for sure but this is a different game completely, we're not relating to two games. 'We've got to be very determined and be ready to fight until the end here to get the result that we need.' Most read in Football He was coy on whether he would have anyone at the game between Shakhtar Donetsk and Besiktas in Istanbul with the losers of that tie St Pat's opponents in the next round, assuming they progress. He said: 'From our point of view, we always do our preparation regardless. One thing we're not doing ourselves is looking beyond this game. It would be foolish to do so. I think this game itself will be hard-fought. League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas 'They are a level-headed group, they understand we are not at the level that we can dismiss anybody, Estonian teams have traditionally been tough opposition, we have to earn the right to win. 'To win in Estonia won't be easy but the players are playing well now in the last couple of weeks and really starting to take control of the games in a good way, although we need to convert more of our chances.' St Pat's do know that if they can extend their run of consecutive clean sheets to a club record seven then they will be through. And Kenny - traditionally an attack-minded coach - insisted that record was not just down to keeper Joseph Anang and his defence He said: 'I suppose it's not been last-ditch defending. It's probably our ability to gain more control now in games because we've slightly changed the way we play. 'We're getting more control and that has probably taken a lot of pressure off our back four. I think that's certainly helped us but we need to do it in the most difficult games. 'That's what we need to show, we're not dwelling on that and we need to go fight hard in the European Conference League away from home and show our qualities.' St Pat's remain without Romal Palmer and Sean Hoare, and Zack Elbouzedi who dislocated his shoulder in the first leg. 1 St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny after the UEFA Conference League Second Qualifying Round first leg match against Nomme Kalju FC Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
