Dundalk 1-1 Rosenborg
It’s still all to play for sports betting fans.
The Lilywhites will head to Norway with their chances of progressing from the second qualifying round of the Champions League very much intact.
Sure, the betting odds may be against them in next week’s return but there is no reason for Stephen Kenny’s side to be fearful if this first-leg is anything to go by.
Indeed, it felt like there were many more than 3,111 spectators crammed inside Oriel Park which was bouncing, especially when David McMillan headed home the opener to become the club’s third all-time leading scorer in Europe (he now has eight).
While sloppiness just before half-time allowed Rosenborg what could be a vital away goal, Dundalk can go to Trondheim with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
True, after the equaliser, the hosts rarely threatened a side which comprised 11 internationals – former Arsenal frontman Nicklas Bendtner among them.
Yet tonight proves Ireland’s finest can create chances against Norway’s best, themselves perennial Champions League qualifiers who normally make a habit of easing through these early rounds.
Remember, this is a club which has competed in the group stages of this competition 11 times and claimed a number of major scalps over the past two decades – Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund among them.
And while they’ve not been at their best this season, they still hold a five point lead in the Norwegian Eliteserien.
They are also more match fit than their opponents at what is the halfway stage of their domestic campaign.
So it’s a big ask for Dundalk but do-able.
Time for captain Stephen O’Donnell to issue a rallying call to his troops.
The dream is still alive.
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