Popesu really should have scored to make it 1-0 Riga, and then right at the end, the free kick missed by inches, hitting side net. On another night Dundalk could have been facing a 1 or 2-0 defeat, and there would be little to argue against it being justified. Dundalk certainly weren't the better team, and these Latvian sides are no washouts. Pats went out to Skonto a few years back, and were comfortably beaten 2-0 for example. Rogers had to make two great saves whereas their keeper almost nothing to do. A vast improvement is needed next week, or it's the EL route against a much better team than Riga. Its true that they struggled to get past FH a few years back on that golden journey, but then went from strength to strength, so I hold out hope that they can up it significantly if they really need to.
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