St Patrick's Athletic 1
O'Brien 38
Valletta 1
Agius 65
Chants of 'City, City' echoed around the Richmond Park as Valletta pulled off arguably the best result in their European history yesterday.
Buoyed by their 5-2 aggregate victory over Keflavik in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, Valletta held Irish Premier League side St Patrick's to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the second qualifying round tie.
It was another resilient and vibrant performance by Valletta who, having conceded a soft goal seven minutes from half-time, roared back after the break to rattle their fading opponents.
St Patrick's had been the brisker team in the first half, not surprising really given their edge in match fitness, but Valletta refused to buckle and turned up the heat on the Irish side.
Valletta's pacey and intelligent approach proved too much for Jeff Kenna's men who struggled to cope with the pace of Doding Priso and the marauding of Gilbert Agius who netted Valletta's equaliser in the second half.
Geert den Ouden may have spurned a couple of inviting chances but his link-up play was outstanding. Jamie Pace also stood out with his relentless running in midfield but all the City players deserve credit for another confident display that keeps their chances of reaching the next stage of the competition very much alive and kicking.
Heartened by Valletta's robust showings against Keflavik, coach Ton Caanen kept faith with the starting XI who guided the Citizens to the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Priso's delayed departure to Ireland due to visa-related problems had raised fears that Caanen may be forced to alter his line-up but the Cameroon winger was available for the match after flying into Dublin on Wednesday afternoon.
Priso and Dyson Falzon were charged with the onus of supplementing Valletta's attack from the wings while Den Ouden was the team's lone forward.
Caanen's gameplan was to keep it tight at the back as Jordi Cruyff was deployed in the heart of a five-man defence that featured Luke Dimech and Kenneth Scicluna as centre-backs.
Jeff Kenna, the St Patrick's manager, awarded a starting role to his new acquisition Declan O'Brien, signed on loan from Dundalk earlier this week.
Outside Richmond Park in the hours leading up to the match, Valletta fans mingled freely with St Patrick's supporters in nearby pubs. Around 70 City fans jetted to Ireland to watch their team take on St Patrick's.
Four minutes into the game, Alan Cawley's cross from the right soared into the City box and David Partridge headed goalwards from close range but Hogg was well-positioned to save his attempt.
The Pats tried to make their superior match fitness count but Valletta stood firm at the back in those initial stages.
Although the hosts were the more enterprising side, a couple of surging runs by Priso showed that Valletta's threat on the counter was not to be discarded.
City were having problems dealing with Ryan Guy's intelligent movement. On one occasion, the American created a shooting opportunity for Stuart Byrne but the latter's grounder was off target.
Two minutes past the half-hour, a good move by Valletta culminated in Agius attempting a through-ball to Steve Bezzina, yesterday manning the right flank, but Gary Rogers, the St Patrick's goalkeeper came out to avert the danger.
Seven minutes from the end of the first half, St Patrick's broke the deadlock. Stephen Maher made headway on the right before crossing towards the centre of the penalty area. His long ball sparked a melee in the six-yard box and O'Brien was on hand to flick home.
Minutes later, Valletta appealed for a penalty when Priso's pass appeared to strike O'Connor's arm but Latvian referee Andresjs Sipailo saw nothing wrong, much to the frustration of Caanen who made his feelings clear to the fourth official.
Valletta looked more composed at the start of the second period. Agius caught the St Patrick's defence unawares with a vertical pass from a free-kick towards Falzon who crossed from the left but Den Ouden blasted high.
The Citizens had another claim for a penalty turned down by Sipailo after a dangerous cross by Priso came off a defender.
With St Patrick's betraying signs of uneasiness, Valletta gained in composure. Their improved display yielded an equaliser 20 minutes into the second half.
The excellent Agius embarked on a fine run through the middle before releasing Den Ouden with a pin-point pass. The Dutchman's run down the right eluded the St Patrick's defence as the towering striker ran towards the byline before cutting the ball back for Agius to beat Rogers from close range.
Cue scenes of immense joy on the Valletta bench and among their boisterous fans.
Hogg kept Valletta's lead intact with a magnificent save from Guy and Rogers emulated him at the other end with another top-notch save to push Jamie Pace's rising effort over the bar.
St Patrick's intensified their pressure as the end of the game drew closer but it was Valletta who almost struck on the counter.
It was another excellent and fast move by the Citizens as Priso passed to Zammit who fed Briffa on the right side. Briffa spotted Agius's ghosting run and duly served him. The City captain freed Den Ouden in the box but the latter's attempt was an anti-climax.
St Patrick's
G. Rogers, S. Maher, D. Partridge, J. Harris, S. Byrne, A. Cawley, B. Ryan, G. O'Connor ('69 G. Fitspatrick), E. Stevens, R. Guy, D. O'Brien.
Valletta
A. Hogg, R. Briffa, L. Dimech, K. Scicluna, S. Bezzina, J. Pace, J. Cruyff, G. Agius, N. Priso, D. Falzon ('76 I. Zammit), G. Den Ouden ('90 E. Agius).
Referee: A. Sipailo (Latvia).
Yellow cards: G. Agius; Priso; Scicluna; Hogg.
Attendance: 2,000.