Details

Date Time League Season
11 August 2022 7:45 pm UEFA Conference League 2022/23

Match Report

St Patrick’s Athletic exit Europe at the hands of CSKA Sofia

It is despair for St. Patrick’s Athletic as a late Ivan Turitsov penalty kick sends CSKA into the Play-Off round of the Europa Conference League (2-1) on aggregate.

CSKA took the lead with an all too easy goal as Garcez De Jesus headed home from close range to level the game on aggregate. It was the winger who won the corner originally when he had a ball played down the line to him forcing Redmond to come across and put it behind. Midfielder Thibaut Vion took the set piece and picked his teammate out who was unmarked in the six-yard area.

The first half saw a lot of niggly fouls, particularly from the visitors who first had players booked for poor challenges on Anto Breslin and Billy King. St. Pat’s grew into the game and went closest through Adam O’Reilly who found himself inside the penalty area following a lovely pass from King, but the midfielder couldn’t lift it over the CSKA goalkeeper Gustavo Busatto.

Once taking the lead, CSKA looked to slow the game down whenever they could with multiple players going down with injuries that needed treatment. Anang was kept mostly untroubled throughout the remained of the first half. Alvarez had an effort from outside the area, but the on-loan West Ham keeper gathered it comfortably.  

The Saints started the second half on top with Forrester inches from going one-on-one with Busatto from a lovely King pass. The tackles continued to fly around the pitch as Grivosti, Shopov, and Atakayi were all cautioned by the referee.

With just over ten minutes left Forrester played through Atakayi who forced a save out of Busatto. The ball fell to O’Reilly again inside the penalty area, but he mishit his effort which went wide despite the best efforts of Eoin Doyle trying to steer it goal-bound.

A minute later a diagonal ball to the right-hand side of the Pat’s back four was deemed to have hit Brockbank’s arm, and Ivan Turitsov made no mistake with the penalty kick, sending Anang the wrong way.

Eoin Doyle went close with five to go when his near post glancing header went just wide. Pat’s failed to really create anything after that and CSKA held on to go through.

At the full-time whistle, there was a big bust-up between both sets of players with Adam O’Reilly and a CSKA player right in the thick of it, with both players eventually being sent off. As the CSKA player in question made his way off the pitch, Forrester looked for seconds before he had his head in his hands as if he had been struck by the CSKA player.

CSKA now go on to play Basel for a place in the group stages, but the European journey is over for the Inchicore club.

St. Pat's Ath

6Jamie Lennon Midfielder
11Jason McClelland Forward
8Chris Forrester Midfielder
10Ronan Coughlan Forward
3Anto Breslin Defender
23David Odumosu Goalkeeper
20Joe Redmond Defender
15Billy King 7 Forward
18Ben McCormack Midfielder
22Sam Curtis Defender
2Barry Cotter Defender
29Paddy Barrett Defender
8Adam O’Reilly Midfielder
45Babatunde Owolabi 12 Forward
30Ross Fay Midfielder
9Eoin Doyle Forward
1Joseph Anang Goalkeeper
5Tom Grivosti Defender 55'
12Harry Brockbank 45 Defender
7Serge Atakayi 15 Forward
25Thijs Timmermans Midfielder

CSKA Sofia

1Gustavo Busatto Goalkeeper
16Ansen Donchev Defender
6Hristiyan Petrov Defender
2Jurgen Mattheij Defender 26'
5Bradley De Nooijer Defender
15Thibaut Vion 3 Midfielder
21Amos Youga Midfielder 60'
8Stanislav Shopov 10 Midfielder
27Mauricio Garcez Forward 11'
9Duckens Nazon 28 Forward
11Lazar Tufegdzic 7 Forward
25Dimitar Evtimov
3Geferson 15
4Menno Koch
7Jonathan Lindseth 11
10Georgi Yomov 8 Midfielder
13Galin Minkov
20Yoan Baurenski
22Enes Mahmutovic
28Brayan Moreno Alvarez 9
19Ivan Turitsov Defender 15'
12Aleks Bozhev Goalkeeper
14Kaloyan Krastev Forward
  • 90'

    Full-time 2-0 CSKA.

  • 90'

    Koch is booked in the dying stages for a cynical foul on Owolabi.

  • 90'

    Four minutes of additional time.

  • 89'

    Owolabi and Turitsov are both booked for a coming together.

  • 84'

    Eoin Doyle has a header that glances by the far post from a corner.

  • 80'

    That is to be Brokcbank's last involvement as he is replaced by Owolabi

  • 80'

    2-0 CSKA. Turitsov sends Anang the wrong way.

  • 80'

    Penalty to CSKA. Brockbank judged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. A massive moment.

  • 78'

    Atakyi is booked by the referee.

  • 78'

    Another massive chance squandered for the Saints. Forrester plays through Atakayi who forces a save out of the keeper but the ball falls to O'Reilly who mishits his strike and Doyle can't get his head on the ball to steer it goalwards.

  • 75'

    A massive opportunity for the Saints squandered. First O'Reilly finds himself inside penalty area but he cannot pick out an onrushing teammate. Next, Forrester delivers an inch perfect cross right onto the toes of Breslin but he can't connect well enough and Busatto collects.

  • 73'

    Shopov is booked for a foul on Atakayi.

  • 70'

    A third and fourth change of the evening for CSKA as Geferson replaces Vion and Tufegdzic replaces Lindseth.

  • 68'

    Jamie Lennon goes down with cramp halting play as he receives attention.

  • 64'

    Tim Clancy's makes his first change as Billy King is replaced by last week's goal scorer Serge Atakayi.

  • 61'

    CSKA make the first two changes of the night as Nazon and Shopov replace Alvarez Yomov.

  • 60'

    Alvarez goes down looking for treatment but the referee waves play on. Moments later Youga is booked and complains about Alvarez not receiving treatment.

  • 55'

    King does brilliant to take down a delightful pass from Forrester but loses his footing at the vital second before laying it off to Breslin. Grivosti is booked for a tackle on Vion which has left the CSKA midfielder needing attention. A harsh yellow as the tackle was hard but fair.

  • 50'

    First half chance for the hosts since the restart. King looks to slip in Forrester who made an inside run but the ball is inches away from the midfielder and the keeper collects. It is CSKA who go close next as a ball to the front post is just cleared away for a corner. Vion takes however Doyle clears and Pat's eventually win back possession.

  • 45'

    CSKA get us restarted. A massive 45 minutes at Tallaght Stadium coming up.

  • 45'

    O'Reilly finds himself in a good position again the penalty area but his touch is a bit too heavy and he can't get a proper strike away. Breslin and King combine down the left to win a corner. Forrester takes but it is too close to the keeper and he gathers. 1-0 CSKA at half-time.

  • 45'

    1 minute of additional time.

  • 40'

    A ball over the top to De Jesus is just too far ahead of him to latch onto. Forrester is penalised for what looked a soft coming together btween himself and Vion. The Tallaght crowd are far from impressed with Busatto taking his time with the free-out. Pat's need to get King on the ball more so he can run at the CSKA back four.

  • 35'

    A few loose passes from both sides in the last few minutes. Alvarez tests Anang with a strike at the edge of the area but the keeper collects comfortably.

  • 30'

    Lennon's delivery from the set piece doesn't beat the first man. Pat's keep the pressure on a looping cross from Redmond is pushed away for a corner. Again, the corner is cleared.

  • 26'

    Mattheij joins his teammate Turitsov in the referee's book for a late tackle on Breslin.

  • 25'

    A big chance for the home side. King collects the ball halfway inside the CSKA half and threads a lovely ball through to O'Reilly but the midfielder can't lift his effort to beat Busatto in goals. Busatto then goes down needing treatment, halting the play. Better from the Saints.

  • 20'

    CSKA enjoying a decent spell of possession in the last five just moving the ball about. Pat's are struggling to get numbers up the pitch when they do break, but Eoin Doyle looks to have the beating of the CSKA centre-backs with his pace. A ball from the right hand side falls to the goalscorer De Jesus but he can't connect well enough and the effort goes wide

  • 15'

    A poor back pass gifts the Saints a corner. Forrester delivers but it comes to nothing. Turitsov is the first to be booked for a foul on King on the halfway line.

  • 11'

    1-0 to CSKA as De Jesus who won the corner originally heads home unmarked in the penalty area following the set piece. A very poor goal for the home side to concede so early.

  • 10'

    Pat's win a free in a good position but it comes to nothing. Both sides with neither chances so far in the opening 10. Both looking to get on the ball and assert their authority.

  • 5'

    A good switch of play from Lennon out to Breslin on the left sees the fullback deliver a ball into Doyle but the striker is judged to have fouled the centre half. Great atmosphere in Tallaght. Grivsoti does well to read a through ball and intercept.

  • 1'

    The Saints get us underway in a glorious evening at Tallaght Stadium.

Past Meetings

(3rd Qualifying Round)
0 - 1
UEFA Conference League
Stadion Balgarska Armia

CSKA Sofia v St. Pat's Ath.

Ground

Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium, Whitestown Way, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 XC9W

Final year Journalism student in DCU. St. Pats reporter. Celtic supporter.