JOE REDMOND held his nerve while Tio Cipot bottled his in a dramatic shootout as the Saints went marching on!
Penalties may be a lottery but St Pat’s more than deserved to progress to a third round away clash with Bulgarian aces CSKA Sofia next week.
Chuffed boss Tim Clancy said: “To go through is a big result for us, but we knew we could compete against them.
“Penalties are a lottery and (as a manager) you feel helpless. You feel out of control because you’re just wanting someone to miss and another person to score.
“But the lads took great ones and we deserve our place in the next round because of how we played over both legs.”
This dramatic win and the ticket through also banks the Saints another €300k to bring their European haul to €850k this summer.
Poor decision making in the final third looked like it might come back to haunt St Pat’s who were too tentative in attack when Mura were there for the taking.
And they were especially hesitant when the hosts were reduced to 10-men with 19 minutes of normal time remaining.
Clancy said: “We spoke in the hotel before the game about picking up the right areas and making good decisions.
“Maybe we shot when we could have passed, and maybe we passed when we could have shot but it’s a positive that we’re getting into those positions.”
At the opposite end, Mura never threw in the towel and Joseph Anang had to make at least three magnificent saves to thwart the hosts.
But St Pat’s were more than a match for the Slovenians over the two legs and paid no heed to their group stage status of last year when they beat Tottenham.
New skipper Redmond, who only made his European debut last week, was coolness personified as he stepped up to take the decisive third spot kick in sudden death.
So too were Eoin Doyle, Ronan Coughlan, Jay McClelland, Thijs Timmermans and Serge Atakayi before him, although Barry Cotter blazed over and Tom Grivosti was saved.
But the way St Pat’s held their nerve was just reward for their attack-minded approach a week ago, and then a well calculated one in the 29-degree Slovenian heat.
St Pat’s were dominant during the opening half and while they still lived dangerously on occasions, they also carved out the best chance of that period.
How Cotter failed to score is anyone’s guess. Perhaps he just was surprised to be one-on-one with the goalkeeper when heading over from five yards.
A week ago, he almost became an instant Saints hero with his first touch against Mura following his loan move from Shamrock Rovers.
But this was a more glaring miss as he squandered the golden opportunity when Redmond headed a Forrester corner into his path.
By that stage, St Pat’s were fortunate not to have conceded a penalty when Harry Brockbank clipped dangerman Mirlind Daku in the 22nd minute.
It was a big let off, not least for Brockbank himself who handed Mura their goal in Dublin when Daku seized upon his undercooked backpass.
Daku was lucky not to walk after the break for a blatant dive under a Brockbank tackle - and St Pat’s continued to make the hosts sweat in the heat.
And their cause was boosted when Matic Maruško was sent off eight minutes after his introduction for raising his hands to Chris Forrester after a harmless tussle.
But the Saints decision making in the final third was poor throughout and continued that way for the remainder.
Not least in the first half of extra-time when Serge Atakayi opted to shoot rather than square to Eoin Doyle who only had to tap in at the back post.
Anang’s saves in that period were vital and the only reason St Pat’s were still alive and kicking before the shootout.
But Redmond was the coolest man in the Slovenian melting pot as he pointed the way forward for further adventure in the weeks ahead.
And Clancy said: “Mura were better tonight than in our place. We’re delighted but we have to focus on Waterford and the FAI Cup on Sunday.”
NŠ Mura: Obradovic; Beganovic, K. Cipot, Morris, Pucko (Majic 119); Bobicanec, Lorbek (Klepac 63); Kous (Sroler 86), Petkovic (T Cipot 63), Shabanhaxaj (Marusku 63); Doku
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anyang; Cotter, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Brockbank, O’Reilly (McClelland 115), Lennon (Timmermans 62); Forrester (Coughlan 85), E. Doyle, King (Atakayi 69).
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland).
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