Shane Blaney scored a brilliant free-kick last night as Sligo Rovers knocked out Scottish side Motherwell 3-0 on aggregate from the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Letterkenny man’s strike from long range after just four minutes stunned the Scots who now had a mountain to climb after losing the first leg 1-0 at Fir Park.
And Blaney’s early left footed strike sent the Showgrounds into euphoria as Liam Kelly was caught off guard by the centre back’s shot.
Aidan Keena scored the only goal of the game last Thursday and Motherwell were soon needing two goals to just take it to extra time following the early free-kick.
They couldn’t break down the Bit O’Red and Blaney and the rest of the team picked up another clean sheet, while Max Mata put some gloss on the scoreline in added time to make it 2-0.
Next up for John Russell’s side is Viking FK of Norway, who knocked out European group stage regulars Sparta Prague last night by an aggregate score of 2-1.
Meanwhile, St. Patrick’s Athletic also made it through to the third round of the same competition, defeating Mura on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Slovenia last night.
A great result for the Saints, knocking out a side that made last years group stage and beat English giants Tottenham Hotspur in their group.
Tim Clancy’s side now face Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in the next round.