Shamrock Rovers turn focus to Europa League after Sparta Prague ...

SPARTA PRAGUE 4 (Victor Oluyemi 29, Mathias Ross 41, Asger Sorensen 48, Indrit Tuci 71)

SHAMROCK ROVERS 2 (Aaron Greene 32, 47)

Sparta Prague win 6-2 on aggregate

One European strike down for Shamrock Rovers, two remaining.

In this elaborate game of snakes and ladders, the Irish representatives were eliminated from the Champions League with the promise of a Europa League tie next week.

Lose that over two legs – against Slovenian side NK Celje – and there’ll be one more bite in the subsidiary Conference League for group stage participation until December.

Despite becoming the Irish first team since 2016 to score twice in an away Champions League game, Rovers were cut apart at times against superior Sparta.

One hopes they can learn the lessons from this chastening against the Czechia side into their upcoming hurdles because the inability to defend crosses will ultimately cost them.

Trailing 2-0 from last week’s first leg at Tallaght, defensive solidity was essential against a side with realistic notions of staying within Europe’s supreme competition deep into the group stage.

Rather they were undone by two deliveries either side of Aaron Greene round the goalkeeper to make it 1-1 just past the half hour mark.

While Greene equalised again early in the second half with a bullet header, another lapse a minute later from a corner to allow Asger Sorensen a free header turned the night again in the favour of the hosts.

Substitute Indrit Tuci drilled in another to complete a 4-2 win, though they might have added more in the final 20 minutes.

With Johnny Kenny injured, Stephen Bradley opted to start Greene as the lone striker but there was no place in the Rovers line-up for Jack Byrne returning from suspension.

He was forced to rejig his defence midway through the half when Sean Hoare was forced off and they were soon behind. By only half-clearing a 29th-minute corner, they allowed another cross to be curled in and there to nod past Leon Pohls from close range was Nigerian striker Victor Oluyemi.

Rovers were content to operate on the counter and it worked a treat when Dylan Watts lofted a ball over the top. Greene was alert to the pass, skipping past the advancing goalkeeper Peter Vindahl and stroking the ball home from an acute angle.

Vindahl was again flapping a few minutes later as Neil Farrugia was presented with a clear sight on goal but he prodded the ball.

They would rue that miss when Sparta regained the lead four minutes before the break.

Aerial presence was lacking in the visitors ranks from Qazim Laçi’s corner, allowing Danish defender Mathias Ross a free header from close-range to thump into the top corner.

Another trademark header at the same end, this time from Greene, injected a semblance of comeback hopes. Farrugia was centrally involved, spraying the ball wide for Josh Honohan to find the veteran striker lurking behind two defenders with a pinpoint cross.

That prospect was immediately extinguished, the warning apparent when Kryštof Daněk was left unmarked straight from the kick-off.

Although his shot was deflected wide by Pohls, from his resulting corner, another Danish defender, Asger Sorensen, wriggled free from Lee Grace’s attention to throw himself at the flighted ball with a diving header that nestled into the bottom corner.

Sparta were home and hosed after that but still had time for a fourth. It took merely the first two touches of Tuci after coming on to breach the Rovers net. He was afforded too much space on the edge of the box off a move from the left and promptly rifled his low shot beyond Pohls.

Four strikes was Czech Mate for Rovers but they’ve two more to extend their European odyssey.

SPARTA PRAGUE: P Vindahl Jensen; D Pavelka, A Sorensen (J Zeleny 62), M Ross; T Wiesner, L Sadliek, Q Laci (M Solbakken 62), I De Albeniz; E Krasniqi, V Olatunji (J Kuchta 69), K Danek (I Tuci 69).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: L Pohls; S Hoare (D Cleary 24), R Lopes, L Grace; J Honohan, D Watts (M Poom 63), G O’Neill, T Clarke (D Burns 63); D Nugent, N Farrugia (J Byrne 63); A Greene (G Burke 75).

Referee: Simone Sozza (ITA).