MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Krilya Sovetov were humbled by League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic in Dublin on Thursday evening, losing 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie.
St Patrick's went into the tie the clear underdogs against Volga Region club Krilya, placed 7th in the Russian Premier League and boasting a number of internationals in their line-up, including Czech Jiri Jarosik, a former Chelsea midfielder.
However, despite Krilya dominating possession, it was the Irish side who scored the only goal of the game, Declan O'Brien running through to slot home in the 71st minute.
Despite the loss, Krilya manager Leonid Slutsky was muted in his praise for the Irish side.
"The hosts deliberately gave away the initiative and played on the counterattack. And they took one of the few chances they had," he told the club's official website.
"St Patrick didn't surprise us at all. We watched their games before and today was a typical match for them."
Krilya's giant Czech international Jan Koller missed Thursday's loss with an injury, but
Slutsky was confident he would be fit for the return leg in Samara on August 6.
