Late Keena penalty gives St Pat's deserved lead over FC Hegelmann

RTÉ News​

10-07-2025

Aidan Keena showed immense courage to end his drought in a Dublin heatwave as Saint Patrick's Athletic gave themselves a big chance of UEFA Conference League progress with a deserved 1-0 win over FC Hegelmann.
Keena was not long on the pitch when he blasted home a penalty after Barry Baggley was taken down in the box with nine minutes remaining of a first leg dominated by the Saints.
It was Keena's first goal in Europe and his first since May in any competition, while Mason Melia, his 17-year-old offensive ally, missed a scatter of chances to put Stephen Kenny's men in front.
Pat's have been miles off it in the league but perhaps, like last year, European football will get their season going and Kenny's men should be confident, with so much pace in their side, of scoring in Lithuania next week and getting the job done regardless.
With Uisce Éireann appealing to customers to "really consider" their water usage due to a worsening drought in Ireland this week, Saints were making every effort to put the ball in the net but it looked for much of the night as though it would not happen.
Without a win in six coming here and with several players struggling for confidence, there was evidence of this when Joe Redmond made a loose pass early, but Saints could not be faulted in general play from that moment on.
Bohemians have shown the benefit of playing a 'baller' at left-back in Jordan Flores and Jay McClelland, hugely influential in the first half, seems to have made the position his own in Inchicore. He linked up well throughout the night with Simon Power and the latter played a lovely early cross to Melia early on, but he did not connect well.
On eight minutes, Kenny appealed to the fourth official as Power went down inside the box under a challenge after a superb through ball from Brandon Kavanagh. The Belgian referee made the right call but Melia should have scored 60 seconds lader. Brandon Kavanagh made a key interception and put Melia in but he blasted over.
The visitors had pace on the break and they had four players on the move after a Pat's corner broke down, only for two of those to crash into each other, before the talking point of the first half.
McClelland had time and appeared to be looking up at his attacking options; whatever, his effort from a crossing position cannoned off the bar, the second game in a row in which he has hit the crossbar with a rasper.
Jamie Lennon was critical for a Saints team full of attacking players and he made a superb block just shy of the half hour mark on Lithuanian international Donatas Kazlauskas, who featured against Kenny's Ireland in 2022 before the Dubliner switched to Pat's.
On 37 minutes, it appeared as though goalkeeper Vincentas Sarkauskas had carried the ball outside the box, but Hegelmann got away with it, and Jake Mulraney had his first key moment in the game shortly afterwards but Melia could not meet his teasing cross after Mulraney roasted his marker on the right.
Pat's continued to dictate after the interval and Bagley should have scored within four minutes, but Sarkauskas made a fine save in a one-on-one. Leo Ribeiro then should have done better but skied his effort wide outside the box, a reminder that the traffic was moving both ways.
Both Mulraney and Kavanagh had shots blocked in a frantic spell before Mulraney showed incredible pace to get back and win the ball from a really dangerous Hegelmann break after a Pat's corner came to nothing. When things are going against you, such efforts mean so much more, and Mulraney had the Pat's crowd in full voice.
On 71 minutes a disguised Kavanagh pass put Baggley through. His shot was blocked but the ball fell to Melia, the Tottenham-bound striker again blasting over.
It seemed as though Pat's would again conspire to miss every chance that came their way but Kenny brought in Chris Forrester for his 400th appearance the club, Zach Elbouzedi and Keena to give them some guile in attack.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the penalty given to Pat's was a shade soft but they had several calls previously waved away. Keena was adamant that he was taking it and his spot-kick was that of a man scoring for fun, rather than badly out of form.
Could this kick-start his and Saints' year? Time will tell, starting next Thursday in Lithuania.
Saint Patrick's Athletic: Joseph Anang; Ryan McLaughlin, Tom Grivosti, Joe Redmond, Jason McClelland; Barry Bagley, Jamie Lennon (Chris Forrester 73); Jake Mulraney (Kian Leavy 83), Brandon Kavanagh (Aidan Keena 74), Simon Power (Zack Elbouzedi 74); Mason Melia.
FC Hegelmann: Vincentas Sarkauskas; Klaudijus Upstas, Nikola Doric, Vilius Armalas, Carlos Duke; Artem Shchedry (Esmilis Kausinis 73), Lazar Kojic, Domantas Antanavicius (Abdoul Harouna 82); Donatas Kazlauskas (Patrick Popescu 74), Njoya Kader (Rasheed Yusuf 82), Leo Ribeiro (Wesley 73).