Uefa Conference League second qualifying round, second leg
Dungannon Swifts 0 FC Vaduz 3 (after extra-time; aggregate: 1-3)
Dungannon Swifts’ European adventure has come to an end after their 10 men suffered an agonising extra-time defeat to full-time opponents FC Vaduz at Solitude.
It was always going to be a huge ask to hold out after new signing Tiernan Kelly was given a straight red card just before half-time for catching Luca Mack with an elbow as he challenged for a header.
And despite defensive heroics from goalkeeper Declan Dunne, and chances to score themselves, their experienced opponents from Liechtenstein levelled with just 10 minutes to go to take the game to extra-time, before adding another at the end of the first 15 minutes.
The Swifts pushed for an equaliser but couldn’t quite create the clear-cut chance they needed and Vaduz, playing in the Swiss second tier, scored into an empty net in the dying seconds to earn a third-round game against Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar next week.
It was cruel for Dungannon, who had recorded their first-ever European away victory, in their first European match for 18 years, with a 1-0 win in Vaduz a week earlier.
The second leg had been following a similar pattern to the game in the Liechtenstein capital, with the technically superior visitors dominating possession and looking dangerous in the early stages.
Unlike in Vaduz, they also created two clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with both Angelo Campos and Marcel Monsberger finding themselves played through with only Dunne to beat, only for the keeper to save with his legs.
However, the key moment came just before the break when the referee shocked Swifts fans by showing a straight red for use of the elbow after Kelly had jumped for a header.
It seemed a harsh decision and prompted an angry response from the Dungannon bench.
Half-time offered a chance to regroup and Rodney McAree’s men had the first chance of the second half, Cahal McGinty heading just over from a free from Leo Alves.
After that it proved difficult for the 10 men to gain possession, their focus turning almost entirely to keeping the Vaduz attacks at bay.
Dunne was solid, saving in his top corner from the head of Monsberger, who later would also head inches wide.
Another header, this time from substitute De Donno, hit the crossbar.
The pressure eventually told in the 79th minute when a half-clearance fell to Mats Hammerich, who drove the ball into the bottom right corner from just outside the box.
Incredibly, the Swifts almost equalised four minutes later when a free-kick from James Knowles was met by centre-back Cahal McGinty and produced a superb save from Leon Schaffran.
The opening half of extra-time produced few chances until Vaduz struck again, this time with a similar shot into Dunne’s left-hand corner when Mischa Eberhard shot from the edge of the box.
The men in blue, roared on by a huge support, gave it everything for the remainder of the game but repeated balls into the box were cleared, and the game was ended in the final seconds when substitute Nicolas Hasler beat the advanced Dunne to the ball near the halfway line and was able to slot into an empty net.
Dungannon Swifts Declan Dunne, Steven Scott (Leon Boyd, 105), Caolan Marron (Thomas Maguire, 105), James Knowles (Bobby Jack McAleese, 97), Leo Alves (Kealan Dillon, 80), Adam Glenny, Tiernan Kelly, Cahal McGinty, Danny Wallace, Gael Bigirimana (Thomas Galvin, 6), Sean McAllister.(Andrew Mitchell, 73)
FC Vaduz Leon Schaffran, Lindon Berisha, Denis Simani, Dominik Schwizer Florian Hoxha, 109), Stephan Seiler, Marcel Monsberger, Mischa Beeli (Nicolas Hasler, 45), Angelo Campos (Javier Navarro, 55), Luca Mack (Mats Hammerich, 59), Mischa Eberhard, Dantas Fernandes (Jonathan De Donno, 73)
Referee Kristoffer Karlsson (Swe)
