Saint Patrick's Athletic will march to Liechtenstein with a two-goal cushion after they eased by FC Vaduz in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round first leg.
The Stephen Kenny era may have had an underwhelming start domestically but in Europe it began with a bang as a sumptuous first-half brace from Jake Mulraney to put the Saints two up inside 18 minutes.
A moment of sloppiness saw Danilo Del Toro halve the deficit midway through the second half before captain Joe Redmond rose highest to glance Chris Forrester’s free kick home 13 minutes from time.
Kenny would have been looking for a response from his side after Sunday’s drubbing in Derry and he got one in what was his side’s best performance since arriving in May.
The Saints roared out of the traps and smothered their opponents, taking just six minutes to break the deadlock.
Romal Palmer went on a mesmerising run, dodging two tackles before being hacked down on the edge of the area. Mulraney’s free kick from outside the 'D' rattled the top corner, leaving Benjamin Buchel rooted to his spot.
Vaduz were simply unable to live with the Pat's' intensity and Mulraney’s second was a hallmark of that.
Jamie Lennon pinched the ball in midfield and Palmer fed Mulraney who finished low past Buchel.
The tie could have been put to bed inside half an hour. Mulraney almost turned provider from a corner but Buchel stopped Lennon’s diving header.
Vaduz were like schoolboys when defending crosses and Buchel was far from convincing, punching a cross skywards and Forrester had a volley cleared off the line by Liridon Berisha.
The Liechtenstein outfit managed to pick themselves up from the floor and forced a flurry of corners before the interval with Lorik Emini threatening from a deflected effort.
Pats were punished for taking their foot off the gas in the second half and it was their turn to flounder from a corner in the 64th minute.
A combination of Mason Melia and Forrester failed to clear and Del Toro bundled home via Tom Grivosti to breathe new life into the tie and the 100 travelling fans.
The momentum in this tie had swung the way of the visitors and a quick turn and volley from substitute Javier Navarro forced Joseph Anang to tip over his crossbar as Richmond Park grew nervy.
That startled Kenny’s charges back into life and Redmond’s header restored their two-goal cushion.
If anything was going to cost the Saints in this game it was concentration. Grivosti let a long ball bounce and Del Toro pounced but dragged his shot wide with just five minutes remaining.
Moments later Alex Nolan, Aaron Bolger and Kian Leavy swarmed forward with Leavy crossing for Bolger who saw his header sensationally saved by Buchel.
Pat's bring a big advantage to second leg.
The winner of the tie will likely face Sabah of Azerbaijan after a surprise 3-0 away win over Maccabi Haifa tonight.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang, Anthony Breslin, Joe Redmond, Tom Grivosti, Jamie Lennon, Chris Forrester (C. Kavanagh), Mason Melia (Nolan 86), Romal Palmer (Bolger 75), Jake Mulraney (McClelland 75), Axel Sjoberg, Zach Elbouzedi (Leavy 69)
FC Vaduz: Benjamin Buchel, Nicolas Hasler (De Donno 81), Liridon Berisha, Denis Simani, Dominik Schwizer, Lorik Emini (Eberhard 46), Danilo Del Toro, Mischa Beeli, Alessandro Krauchi (Stober 86), Fabrizio Cavegn (Navarro 69), Mats Hammerich
Referee: Tom Owen (Wales)
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