Teenage star Mason Melia bags first European goal as St Patrick's Athletic progress in Conference League

RTÉ News​

4 days ago

Mason Melia demonstrated why he is a rising star in Irish football as Saint Patrick's Athletic cantered into the next stage of the UEFA Conference League in Lithuania.
The County Wicklow teenager's first goal in Europe early in the first half was bettered by a dazzling half-of-the-pitch sprint early in the second, setting up Kian Leavy to hammer home the second and the reality of a return of self-belief among Stephen Kenny's charges.
Estonia's Nomme Kalju or Albanian side Partizani are up next for the Dubliners, who found confidence from their 1-0 home-leg win, despite poor league form, to cruise to victory in the Baltics.
It was a first-ever victory by more than a single goal away from home in Europe for the Inchicore outfit.
Heglemann's chronic inability to convert decent territory into a goal illustrated their limitations and, while Pat's will not get carried away with this, they will fancy their chance of getting through the next round too.
Saints' European record under Stephen Kenny now reads: played eight matches, won five, their only defeat in those matches coming in the Conference League play-off round to smart Turkish outfit İstanbul Başakşehir last August.
Pre-game Kenny noted the heat and how his players needed to adapt, Kian Leavy replacing Brandon Kavanagh because of his pace to trouble Hegelmann in the warm conditions, and that proved shrewd.
Joe Redmond was calm throughout and, when needed, Joey Anang did the needful. All in all, Kenny will be thrilled.
For all of that, Heglemann had a massive chance just over a minute in. A punt down the line saw Donatas Kazlauskas find space and he fed Klaudijus Upstas. Upstas's cross found Njoya Kader whose shot was blocked and Saints were lucky that full-back Carlos Duke lashed the rebound over.
If Pat's needed a reminder of the challenge ahead, despite their one-goal lead, they had it. Jay McClelland struggled for that attack but he was central to the Saints opener.
Leavy justified his selection by finding McClelland in space on the left and he drove the ball across stopper Vincentas Sarkauskas, whose parry was candy from a baby from a handful of yards for Melia. It was exactly what he and Pat's needed.
Duke had a lively opening and he was wayward with a right-footed effort on 13 minutes – Saints had been warned. Still, Hegelmann looked ripe for picking off if Pat's got their press right. Melia was presented with the ball 16 minutes in and, rather than shoot, he got his pass all wrong, but the evening was young.
There was no let-up and Leo Ribeiro had Jamie Lennon on the back foot but he blasted over from outside the box. The same scenario presented itself within a few minutes but this time Lennon fashioned a key block on Ribiero, who was causing problems for the Dubliners.
Then Upstas crossed for Artem Shchedry but he could not quite connect, when he would have likely scored had he met the cross. Barry Bagley, who has revelled in European combat this year, showed sumptuous skill to find space midway through the half and McClelland teed up Power, whose low effort kept edging just beyond Sarkauskas' post.
Melia's ability to create something with his first touch shows why Tottenham Hotspur are taking a chance on him.
He burst into space and seemingly put the hitherto quiet Jake Mulraney on ten minutes before the break but Upstas got back to clear for a corner.
Mulraney was growing in influence now but would not see the second half on the artificial terrain. The trio playing just off Melia – Mulraney, Power and Leavy – were critically involved six minutes shy of the break, Leavy blocked after a clever flick from Power.
Lazar Kojic and Shchedry worked a lovely move early after the restart and Ribeiro's toe-poke may have been covered by Anang, but Saints were stretched.
Leavy's end result can disappoint but not so for the second. Melia, having darted at goal from his own half, played a nice soft pass into the Ardee youngster and he was impressively averse to panic, taking control of the ball and blasting into the roof of the net.
As the temperatures dropped to around 20 degrees, Saints were able to relax to a large extent thereafter. Substitutes Zach Elbouzedi, introduced for Mulraney at the break, should have done better after being fed by Aidan Keena, whose penalty conversion was massive last week, especially given his goal drought.
Hegelmann's fans were tiring too, a faltering play on Homer Simpson's "Where's My Burrito" symptomatic of their malaise.
That said, Anang produced an exceptional save from a stinging left-footed drive from substitute Patrick Popescu that would have made things a little more interesting.
The stakes will rise for Pat's now with the question of whether they can bring this form back to the League of Ireland and repeat their run of last year in the Conference League.
Hegelmann: Vincentas Sarkauskas; Klaudijus Upstas, Nikola Doric, Vilius Armalas, Carlos Duke; Artem Shchedry (Patrick Popescu 63), Lazar Kojic, Domantas Antanavicius (Abdoul Samad Harouna 70); Donatas Kazlauskas (Esmilis Kausinis 70), Njoya Kader (Rasheed Yusuf 63), Leo Ribeiro (Yanis Azouazi 84).
Saint Patrick's Athletic: Joseph Anang; Ryan McLaughlin, Tom Grivosti, Joe Redmond, Jason McClelland (Chris Forrester 79); Barry Bagley, Jamie Lennon; Jake Mulraney (Zach Elbouzedi 46), Kian Leavy (Al Amin Kazeem 88), Simon Power (Anthony Breslin 79); Mason Melia (Aidan Keena 72).