O'Donnell: "One goal and it's game on"

Dundalk captain Stephen O’Donnell is confident that his side can still progress to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League despite suffering a two-goal defeat in the Dublin Arena on Wednesday night.

The game was a genuine contest for lengthy spells, with Dundalk having the better offensive opportunities throughout the match, although a breakthrough never arrived before Legia Warsaw hit the Lilywhites with two sucker punch goals in the second-half.

Despite losing the match on such a comprehensive scoreline, O’Donnell believes that his teammates can rescue the tie in Warsaw if they get the first goal, adding that memories of their away victory over Hajduk Split against the odds two years ago in the Europa League can act as the catalyst for their comeback.

O’Donnell told Extratime.ie: “We’re very disappointed to concede the goal with the last kick of the game, but we played well as a whole – passing wise on the night, but we probably didn’t create as many chances as we would’ve liked.

“I think if you had offered them 1-0 with 15 minutes to go then they would’ve taken it. We were putting on pressure and we had fresh legs on the pitch giving us that extra little boost, but it’s just disappointing to concede that type of goal [with] the last kick of the game.

“If we get a goal at any time over there and go 1-0 up then it’s definitively game on and it will be all to play for so we’re obviously disappointed tonight, but we’ll dust ourselves down and look forward to the next leg on Tuesday.

“We lost to Split at home two years ago and we then went 2-1 up over there and they were definitively panicking, and another ten minutes and I feel that we would’ve got a third so I think that’s what we got to look at. We’re a much better team now than we were two years ago so if we get a goal at any stage, it’s game on.”

The first of Legia’s goals arrived when Dundalk central defender Andy Boyle was penalised for handling the ball ten minutes into the second half by the game’s German referee, Deniz Aytekin. Boyle looked helpless to stop the ball from ricocheting off his right-arm having initially produced a stunning block.

O'Donnell felt that it was a great piece of defending rather than an intentional foul on Boyle’s behalf, although Nemanja Nikolic was the beneficiary as he fired home from the consequential spot-kick to give the Polish team a 1-0 lead.

The Dundalk skipper said: “I thought that it [the penalty decision] was very harsh being behind it. Boyler jumped and on another day people would’ve said that he made a great block, he didn’t make himself any bigger with his arms and we’ve looked at it after the game and it’s very harsh.

“It’s a great block actually, he has not made himself any bigger and his arms are not in a false position, but that’s football.”

O’Donnell himself will be unavailable for selection ahead of Tuesday evening’s return leg at Legia’s Polish Army Stadium having picked up his third caution of the qualifiers on Wednesday night. However, the Galwegian is adamant that his replacement will be more than capable.

“I’m disappointed [to be suspended] but I’m not thinking about that, I’m more disappointed with conceding the second goal in the 94th minute. I’m suspended but it’s a team game and it doesn’t really matter, we’ve a great squad and someone will come in and play well next week, I’m sure. I’ll be there cheering them on.”