The 42

JOEY O’BRIEN WANTS his wounded Shelbourne players go on one final European hunt to ensure qualification for the league phase of the Uefa Conference League.

The Reds saw Croatia champions Riejka wipe out their 2-1 lead from the first leg last week before an absorbing ending at Tolka Park led to their exit from the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

Mipo Odubeko converted an 86th-minute penalty to level the tie at 3-3 before Milan Mbeng came close to win it moments later, only to see the man who conceded the penalty – Ante Orec – go down the other end and produce a clever reverse strike to send Rijeka into the Europa League play-off in the last minute of normal time.

The winner of Icelandic side Vikingur and Linfield, who Shels beat in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, now await in the Conference League play-off.

O’Brien confirmed he will travel to Belfast on Thursday to see if David Healy’s side can overturn a 2-1 deficit and set up an All-Ireland rematch for the prize of league phase European football and a minimum of €3.8 million.

“I thought we were probably the better team in the second half. Looked fitter, looked stronger towards the end of it,” O’Brien said.

“The second goal they score, it’s an unbelievable shot, an unbelievable goal. But again, lads stuck at it, immensely proud of them, how they kept going. Obviously, we got the penalty then, late doors, and here, we were ready for the barnstorming finish.

“We had the [Mbeng] chance, we didn’t take it, and they went up, got a little bit of luck, I suppose, with a breaking ball, good finish. Yeah, it was a sickener.

“But I said to the lads, like, obviously they (Rijeka) are celebrating and all that, and we want that, you know, and that’s it, and you use this hurt now that we’re going through as the hunt.

“That’s what it is, you turn that hurt into hunting, and that’s what we’re doing now, we want that celebration in a couple of weeks’ time.

“The lads, it’s a hard one to take, and bitterly disappointed for the boys, but as you said, we’re still in it, and yeah, we need to be on it now for the next one.”

The next one is an attempt at creating history for the club by qualifying for group/league stage of European football for the first time, and also ensuring back-to-back qualification to Uefa’s third tier competition for League of Ireland sides after Shamrock Rovers did so last season, eventually reaching the knockout phase.

The Hoops earned €7.26 million in total for their exploits last season but O’Brien isn’t looking at the next two-legged tie as any kind of consolation.

“I think I said that before. I trusted the lads, I fancied our lads. As I said, I couldn’t be any prouder of them. The effort that they put in over the two legs, the performance that they put in over the two legs.

“We were right there to the death. And here, as I said, when all said and done it comes down to a little bit of luck late doors, we had a chance, didn’t take it. And I suppose you can look at all sorts of the parts of the game and all that sort of stuff. That’s where it is. We get a chance after it’s in the balance. Don’t take it. They go up the other end and take theirs.”

Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.