Dundalk winger Daryl Horgan has expressed his disappointment at the narrow 2-1 defeat to Zenit Saint Petersburg in the Europa League.
Horgan was part of a side that took the lead against their more wealthy and illustrious opponents but could not hold onto the lead.
As Horgan told Off The Ball's Nathan Murphy after the match, it was a blow to lose in those circumstances, with disappointment the over-riding feeling in the League of Ireland leaders' dressing room.
"It's very tough to lose a game like that. I thought in a sense, we played well, defended well and limited them to few chances or I suppose not as many as they would have liked," said Horgan.
"And at one stage we could have been 2-0 up but for the wood of the post.
"I don't think we were too flattered by going 1-0 up. I thought we created good chances in the first half and then in the second half, I thought we probably wouldn't have been hard done by getting a draw in the game. But that's the way it goes. They took their opportunities".
Meanwhile, Horgan's team-mate Chris Shields echoed that sense of what might have been.
"We're a bit disappointed and we see it a small bit like the one that got away. But I suppose you have to take confidence out of the performance. They're a well established side in Europe and we showed we can mix it. But switch off and they'll show their quality and they will punish. That's what happened really," he said.
The result means Dundalk remain on four points from three games, five behind group leaders Zenit. Third in the group Maccabi Tel Aviv, one point behind Dundalk. AZ Alkmaar are bottom with one point.
Next up for Stephen Kenny's side is a return leg away from home against tonight's opposition on November 3rd.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
