UEFA Conference League play-off, first leg
St Patrick’s Athletic 0
Istanbul Basaksehir 0
AS THE FINAL seconds ticked down, those St Patrick’s Athletic supporters that did not spend the entirety of another famous night on their feet rose to sing for their players.
They weren’t doing so to console, or mourn their Europen hopes.
Stephen Kenny has made sure they go to the second leg next week believing.
This was not an occasion when pride was required in the face of despair.
The game was scoreless, 10 minutes of injury time were almost up, and the League of Ireland side sensed that a goal was there for them against Istanbul Basaksehir.
They’d seen substitute Kian Leavy rifle a long-range effort against the post after some mesmerising skill and watched 16-year-old Mason Melia lead the line in such an accomplished manner that Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and U21 boss Jim Crawford would surely have taken notice.
Both were in the stands among 6,219 others at Tallaght Stadium and what would have impressed was his mentality to put in such a display after missing a great early chance.
Others would have wilted, Melia instead put in the performance of his career.
There is so much more of it to come and most will, hopefully, even be on TV after no companies here deemed this occasion worthy of their air time.
A pocket of 155 Basaksehir supporters were in the corner of an otherwise empty south stand, behind the goal where their side were playing into for the first half.
None of them travelled from Istanbul, instead they were Turkish fans living in Ireland.
Some were Basaksehir through and through, while the sight of scores of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce jerseys side by side was more than a little unsettling.
There were Turkey flags and banners but none of the fervour normally associated with the country’s usual demographic.
No surprise given Basaksehir average just over 2,000 for home games and have been bankrolled since a rebrand in 2014 to become a club with regular European ambitions.
They could easily have been behind inside the opening eight minutes.
Melia, superb all evening with his general play and flashes of skill, glanced a header wide after straining to connect while on the run from a Zack Elbouzedi cross, that was perhaps an inch too far in front between the six-yard box and penalty spot.
The teenager turned provider moments later, taking control of the ball close to where he missed his chance and creating space to tee up Jake Mulraney. The winger snatched at his shot, though, and it flew over when you expected him to hit the target.
Chris Forrester then fizzed a strike just by the crossbar from a tight angle on the left as the home side settled into the tie with purpose and ambition.
Melia summed up their intent and confidence with a sublime touch and turn to spin away from his marker on the half way line. There was just too much grass in front as he drove towards goal and split second indecision as he neared the penalty box allowed for a recovering tackle.
But Pat’s were in the ascendancy and Basaksehir boss Cagdas Atan spent the first 45 minutes in a constant state of frustration, remonstrating with his players and then turning back to his bench to complain some more.
When Romal Palmer was forced off with a leg injury right on the stroke of half-time, replaced by Leavy, Pat’s needed to rejig things slightly.
Basaksehir, as expected, started brighter in the second half with Berkay Ozcan having a greater influence. A driving run from the left drew a foul on the line to the box but the resulting free kick was tame and drilled straight into the wall.
Pat’s now had to deal with pressure as Basaksehir slowly sustained possession and edged deeper into the attacking third.
Then, out of nothing, a spark of speed and skill to reignite Kenny’s side as an attacking force.
Leavy took possession with pressure from Onur Ergun and spun him to advance down the left. He cut inside Onur Opoku and drilled a diagonal shot that smashed off the far post and away from danger.
Seconds later, still in the 59th minute, a VAR check was required to confirm that down the other end Joseph Anang had not brought down Poland international Krzysztof Piatek with his trailing leg after clearing the ball.
Once play was waved on, Mulraney had another goal-bound effort in the area blocked and Atan was back to giving out yards to anyone who would listen.
When referee Mohammed Al-emara was forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury on 70 minutes he had a chance to get his players together.
Kenny did, too, and when 10 minutes of stoppage time was shown on the board there was a surge of excitement in the stands rather than fear.
There will be none heading to Istanbul next week.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond (captain), Grivosti, Breslin; Elbouzedi, Lennon, Forrester (Bolger 90+1), Palmer (Leavy 45 + 1), Mulraney (B Kavanagh 90+7); Melia (Keena 90 +1).
Istanbul Basaksehir: Sengezer; Duarte, Gureler, Opoku, Ali Sahiner (captain (Lima 83); Pelkas (Gurler 83), Ergun, Ozcan (Ozdemir 90+1); Turuc, Piatek (Keny 90 +1), Davidson (Figueriredo 64).
Referee: M Al-emara (FIN)
