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BATE’S blue and yellow tide swept over Stephen Kenny’s Bohemians this afternoon in Borisov, Belarus, but the tie is still very much alive thanks to a home win by just the sole goal.
24-year-old midfielder Yevgeni Loshankov, an U21 international who scored in BATE’s previous Champions’ League appearance in 2000/01, put the home side in front in the 24th minute.
Midfielder Alex Shkabara found space down the Bohemians’ left flank to cross for the incoming Loshankov who controlled and shot from the edge of the penalty area. ‘Keeper Matt Gregg managed to get a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out as it flew into the top right hand corner of his goal.
With striker Pavel Shmigero booked on 41 minutes and both sides getting to know each other physically under extreme weather conditions of thunder and lightning, Czech referee Jara Jaroslav added on seven minutes of injury time to the first forty-five minutes.
Colin Hawkins, who came through a late fitness test, was central to Bohemians just conceding the one, but as he faded and conditions improved BATE went close through Shmigero. Robbie Doyle wasn’t firing on all cylinders and the experienced Paul Keegan came on for the last ten minutes but to no avail. It became a limiting exercise in the end, but with just one goal to claw back this day week, the Irish league champions are very much still in the competition.
BOHEMIANS: Gregg; Lynch, Webb, Heary (Booked 81), Hawkins; Hunt, Ryan (Harkin 79), Caffrey, Rutherford; Doyle (Keegan 82), Crowe
BATE: Zhevnov; Likhtarovich, Bag, Mardas, Stripeykis; Loshankov, Shkabar, Tarasenko; Shmigero, Beganskiy, Molosh