Shamrock Rovers have become the first team from the League of Ireland to reach the knockout stages in Europe after their 1-0 victory over Rapid Wien.
The Irish side went into the game as underdogs, and an early Nenad Cvetković volley gave the home side a deserved lead, so things were looking rough for Stephen Bradley's men.
However, Johnny Kenny managed to equalise in the second half, and a gallant performance of defiance, and grit, rewarded the hoops with a draw.
That shared point meant that Shamrock Rovers are guaranteed to progress to the knockout stages of the competition and it will ensure an extra €133,000 on top of the millions they have already accumulated so far in Europe this year.
After a disappointing end in the LOI, where Rovers lost their title to Damien Duff's Shelbourne, this is the kind of welcome distraction that Bradley and his players will have wanted.
After winning four league titles in a row, they looked to be in pole position to make that five on the bounce, but ultimately lost out on a race that ran right up until the very last day of the season.
Speaking to The Irish Independent after the game, Bradley admits that he has been impressed with his team's ability to bounce back from disappointment, and really attack this competition.
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“We understand why we didn’t win the league, we totally understand it, we’ve reviewed it. We understand why we came up short. It’s very unlike us.
"You’ll never these question these players in terms of character and commitment. I had no doubt we would show up but whether we would have that physical sharpness was the only question I had.”
The Irish side now sit tenth in the 36-team Conference League table and are one of just six sides that are unbeaten.
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