Shamrock Rovers fell to a 2-0 away defeat to Slovan Bratislava in the first leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie last night.
Brazilian striker Rafael Ratão scored two goals to leave Stephen Bradley's side with an uphill task going into the second leg.
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It could have been worse for Rovers but for some fine saves from Alan Mannus, who denied Vladimir Weiss from the penalty spot.
Weiss, who had returned from Slovakia's Euro 2020 campaign, also saw his rebound saved.
Bratislava will travel to Tallaght next Tuesday with the number of fans allowed to attend still uncertain.
Seán Gannon missed a glorious opportunity to put Rovers in front early on but overall Bratislava were well deserving of their victory.
