Dynamo Kiev 2 Drogheda United 2 (Kiev win 4-3 on aggregate):  The greatest European result in Irish club football history slipped agonisingly from the grasp of Drogheda United in Kiev this evening, when Adam Hughes shot over the bar from five yards in the final minute of the second leg of their Champions League qualifier.

With the score at 2-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate the ball dropped to Hughes but the midfielder, with victory on away goals his reward, leaned back on the shot and directed it over with the goal at his mercy.

Amazingly, Shane Robinson almost rescued the dream when he fired across the goal in injury time and watched as goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskyy directed it on to the post and across the face of the goal.

Drogheda had kept in touch gamely throughout without creating many clear cut chances. They found themselves level at 2-2 thanks to a first half Robinson penalty and a Graham Gartland strike three minutes from time.

Oleksander Aliiev, who tormented Paul Doolin's side last week, gave the hosts the lead when Gartland mistimed a defensive header and Ismael Bangoura helped it into the path of the onrushing midfielder.

Aliiev showed he could strike a ball when scoring Kiev's last minute winner in Dalymount and he proved it again when drilling the ball home from 20 yards, though Jamie Ewing could and should have done better in the Drogheda net.

The homeside dominated proceedings for the most part but the second came from Drogheda when Richie Baker forced a soft penalty from Badr El Kaddouri and Robinson calmly slotted it beyond Shovkovsky two minutes before the break.

The second period followed a similar patter with Kiev dominating.  The only surprise was that it took the second so long to arrive and did so from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute, through Artem Milevsky.

With the tie seemingly secure at 4-2 on aggregate the hosts got lazy and in the 87th minute allowed Gartland to poke Robinson's deep free-kick past Shovkovsky, who was as culpable as his defence.

The ball was rushed back to the centre circle and Doolin's men rallied. A long ball had Shovkovsky floundering again and the goalkeeper spilled it to the feet of Hughes who, despite being under pressure from two men on the line, should have buried the chance.

Then came Shovkovsky lame attempt at directing Robinson's effort out but there was nobody in a Drogheda shirt to finish what would have been the easiest chance of all.

Though a 2-2 draw in Kiev is one to be very proud of for an Irish club side, this was one that got away in the end, and it is Kiev who progress to meet Spartak Moscow in the next round.