Player Ratings: Dundalk 1 - 2 Zenit

Dundalk came up just short as they came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 score-line in their Europa League Group D tie against Zenit St. Petersburg at Tallaght Stadium.

Having taken in the game our reporter, Caoimhin reilly rated each member of the Lilywhites side out of ten for their performance against the Russian giants.

Gabriel Sava (GK): The Romanian was despondent at the full-time whistle. The majority of the blame will be hurdled at him following his poor clearance for the opening Zenit goal. It would be unfair to lay all the onus on the keeper though because apart from that one error, his performance was flawless. Excellent distribution, exemplary handling and a penalty save to keep Dundalk in contention: 7

Sean Gannon (RB): The debate as to whether or not Alan Keane should have continued to deputise at right-back will continue to be the topic of local conversation. Gannon had a tough night despite shadowing Oleg Shatov to the letter of the law. For both goals, the full-back was caught horribly out of position and that will ultimately be how his performance will be remembered. He’s back to his composed best on the ball though: 6

Brian Gartland (CB): Quite simply immense once again. There simply aren’t sufficient words to describe how critical Gartland’s substantial presence is at the heart of Dundalk’s defence. Yet again a thorn in both boxes, getting his head on everything in sight. He handled Artem Dzyuba with ease: 8

Andy Boyle (CB): This was probably Boyle’s finest performance from a European campaign which has seen the stand-in captain not put a foot wrong. In the early stages he was quite simply the hurdle that Zenit could not breach. His timing and bravery stunted numerous Zenit attacks while his composure in possession got Dundalk playing from the back: 8

Dane Massey (LB): Massey defended excellently. The left-back had to deal with repeated waves of Zenit players in attack with Aleksandr Anyukov going forward at every opportunity. He went close to scoring with a first-half header and even closer in the second, had that effort went in Dundalk would almost certainly be sitting top of the group: 7

Ronan Finn (CM): Like a fine wine, Finn seems to improve with every passing week. He couldn’t have come much closer to scoring in the seventh minute having shown a tremendous burst of pace to latch onto David McMillan’s pass. Tirelessly worked against a physically superior Zenit midfield and was an integral part of every offensive move the Lilywhites put together. He’s simply indispensable: 8

Chris Shields (CDM): Shields’ impact wasn’t as keenly felt last night as it was in prior outings. The diminutive Giuliano seemed to always be a step ahead of the Dundalk gatekeeper while Shields also struggled to dictate the play like he has done so previously. Still his presence prevented Zenit from cutting the Lilywhites open on countless occasions. A valuable contribution in all: 7

Robbie Benson (CM): Benson doesn’t do ordinary goals. At the same end as his memorable finish in the victory over BATE Borisov, Benson fired Dundalk into the lead with a crisply struck shot which swerved out of Yuri Lodygin’s grasp. Despite coming into the game having been suffering from injury, the ex-UCD captain performed well in putting pressure on his imposing centre-field opponents: 7

Patrick McEleney (RW): The Derry man was defensively very disciplined as he partnered Gannon in the right-back position which prevented Zenit from cutting Dundalk open. His impact unfortunately was minimal going forward, especially seeing as Domenico Criscito looked suspect for the visitors down his flank. It simply wasn’t McEleney’s night despite him giving it his best: 7

David McMillan (CF): Having been the finisher so many times in 2016, McMillan attained the role as the provider for so many of Dundalk’s chances on Thursday night. The striker put opportunities on a plate for Benson and Finn early on, peeling of his markers. As ever worked his socks off but the ball just wouldn’t fall for him inside the 18-yard area: 8

Daryl Horgan (LW): Double-marked and treble-marked, Zenit had Horgan’s card well marked, during a quiet first-half for the Galweigan. After the interval the game opened up, conditions which suit Horgan to a tie. He rarely lost possession and always looked to move forward and make things happen. His free-kick delivery for Massey’s header, which cannoned off the upright, was sublime: 7

Subs:

Ciaran Kilduff: Loomed menacingly on the shoulder of the Zenit defence in an attempt to sniff out a scoring opportunity. Had one half-chance with his back to goal but his touch was unkind and Zenit cleared. Tried to make room for passes to feet when his side trailed but the growing number of retreating defender snuffed him out: 6

John Mountney: Came on for Benson with just over 10 minutes to play and as ever, gave it everything without being given the opportunity to carry the ball into the Zenit half. A surprise that he didn’t start considering he is one of Stephen Kenny’s most reliable assets. Mountney, with his energy, may have been more suited to the right-flank role played by McEleney: 6

Dean Shiels: Got on the ball and attempted to thread the decisive passes to rescue the Lilywhites a point. He has an added quality that other Dundalk players don’t possess but his defensive discipline and work-rate may well be the reason why he hasn’t enjoyed as much game time as he would like. Has a big role to play in the rest of the campaign: 7