Dundalk’s Champions League run ended at the hands of Legia Warsaw tonight but Robbie Benson left supporters with a highlight to cherish for years to come.
The Lilywhites were 2-0 down from the first leg in Dublin but gave themselves hope of salvaging the tie through Benson’s goal in the 19th minute.
David McMillan headed down a cross from Sean Gannon and the onrushing Benson hammered a first time volley into the net with his weaker right foot.
Dundalk’s chances of forcing the tie to extra time improved further when Legia’s Adam Hlousek was given his marching orders on 67 minutes for a second bookable offence.
However, the League of Ireland champions were unable to make their numerical advantage count and the home side grabbed a late equaliser through Michal Kucharczyk.
The Poles progress 3-1 on aggregate and head into the Champions League group stage, while Dundalk must be content with a spot in the equivalent round of the Europa League.
If you haven’t seen Robbie Benson’s goal for some reason… ???pic.twitter.com/l3lufBELB6
— Back Page Football (@bpfootball) August 23, 2016