Dundalk tasted bitter disappointment as they went from the verge of a historic win to defeat against Zenit St Petersburg.
In a touch of Brazilian class the Zenit midfielder Giuliano exchanged a one-two in the box with the Belgian Axel Witsel and eased the ball home from close range for a 2-1 victory in their Group D game in Dublin. The substitute Mauricio missed a penalty chance to finish the game off in the final minutes.
Robert Mak had put the Russian club level after Robbie Benson’s opener for Dundalk. Zenit have a five-point lead while Dundalk are second, a point ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who secured a 2-1 win at AZ Alkmaar with a late goal from Eyal Golasa.
Zenit controlled most of the play with precise and short passes. Giuliano always looked threatening, turning deep inside the Dundalk half in an effort to create space. But for much of the game the gulf in class between the Irish hopefuls and the 2008 winners of the Uefa Cup was masked by a spirited performance from the hosts.
They have endured a punishing domestic and international schedule in recent weeks and looked tired in the dying minutes of the match when it became clear their opponents had too much for them.
Dundalk displayed a flawless defensive performance against one of the favourites to win the Europa League during the first half. The Russian side dominated possession but Dundalk carved probably the best chances of the half. The Irish striker David McMillan set up Ronan Finn within the first 10 minutes but his shot inched past the keeper’s right post.
Minutes later the storming winger Daryl Horgan surged forward and tried to poke it towards the striker Patrick McEleney but he was foiled.
Zenit’s play was patient, waiting for Dundalk to make a mistake. Witsel controlled the game in the middle but failed to tee up any significant first-half chances.
Early in the second half the winger Benson picked the ball up 25 yards out with a little bit of space after the ball bounced off a Zenit defender. His shot beat the keeper who may have been unsighted by one of his defenders.
On 70 minutes Mak equalised for Zenit after a poor clearance from the Dundalk keeper saw the ball given away cheaply and the winger made no mistake from close range. Seven minutes later Giuliano played a 1-2 with Witsel inside the box and made it 2-1 and Dundalk heads dropped, buoyed little by the penalty miss after Brian Gartland’s foul on Mauricio.
Feyenoord defeated the Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk 1-0 at De Kuip with a goal from Nicolai Jorgensen on 55 minutes. They have six points in Group A and lead Manchester United on head-to-head record after José Mourinho’s side enjoyed a 4-1 win against Fenerbahce at Old Trafford.
In Group B, Young Boys came from behind to beat Apoel Nicosia 3-1 with a hat-trick from Guillaume Hoarau. The Cypriots are still top, level on six points with Olympiakos who recorded a 4-1 win over the Kazakh side Astana with a double from Junior Seba.
Three teams are locked on five points at the top of Group C. Mainz and Anderlecht drew 1-1 while Saint Etienne secured a 1-0 home win against Gabala, who are bottom without a point.
Austria Vienna battled to a 3-3 draw at Roma, with both teams level on five points at the top of Group E. Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice for the Italians but late goals from Dominik Prokop and Olarenwaju Kayode secured a dramatic draw. Astra Giurgiu won 2-1 at Plzen.
In Group F, Genk beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at home to move two points clear after Rapid Vienna and Sassuolo played out a 1-1 draw.
Shakhtar Donetsk maintained their 100% start to Group H as they thrashed Gent 5-0, while Konyaspor and Braga drew 1-1. Schalke also have three wins from three in Group I after a 1-0 away win against the Russian side Krasnodar. Nice collected a first win, 1-0 at Red Bull Salzburg.
Fiorentina stayed top of Group J with a 3-1 win away at Slovan Liberec, where Nikola Kalinic scored twice in the first half. FK Qarabag beat PAOK Salonika 2-0 to move above the Greeks into second place.
After Southampton’s 1-0 defeat to Internazionale, Sparta Prague are top of Group K after a 1-0 win away to the Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Villarreal remain leaders of Group L after battling back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw away at the Turkish side Osmanlispor, who saw their substitute Mehmet Guven sent off. FC Zurich are second, level on four points with Osmanlispor, after they drew 1-1 at Steaua Bucharest.
Celta Vigo and Ajax shared four goals in an entertaining 2-2 draw to stay at the head of Group G. It was also 2-2 between Standard Liège and Panathinaikos in Belgium.
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