Pat Hoban says Glentoran have every reason to believe the tie is still alive after last week’s 2-1 first-leg defeat to RFS, with the second leg now set for Thursday evening in Riga.
Glentoran were beaten at the BetMcLean Oval, but Hoban insisted the narrow margin leaves the Uefa Conference League first qualifying round finely balanced. The return match takes place at the LNK Sporta Parks in Riga at 5.30pm, with RFS carrying just a one-goal advantage.
That is the context for Hoban’s message. He has seen enough in European football to know that away nights can change quickly, and he believes Glentoran are still in the contest.
“Obviously we would have preferred not to be behind after the first leg, but our objective was always to make sure that the tie was still very much alive going to Riga and that is certainly the case,” Hoban said.
Why Glentoran still believe
Hoban’s view was not based on wishful thinking. He felt Glentoran created enough problems in Belfast to suggest the tie could have looked different by the final whistle.
“On another night we could have been coming away with an advantage or at least level, but unfortunately it just wasn’t to be,” he said.
That is an important point for Glentoran. A one-goal deficit is still a deficit, but it is not a scoreline that closes the door. In a two-legged European tie, that matters. It keeps the away side under pressure without making the task impossible.
Hoban’s European experience matters
Hoban’s confidence also comes from his own background in Europe. In 2019, he was part of the Dundalk squad that defeated Riga FK on penalties in a Champions League first round qualifier in Riga. The following year, he featured for Dundalk against Arsenal at the Emirates in the Europa League group stages and also scored against Rapid Vienna in the same group.
That experience gives weight to his belief that Glentoran can still challenge RFS away from home. He knows that European ties are often decided by small details, and he believes his side learned enough from the first leg to improve in the return.
“That doesn’t mean it’s game over though, it’s very much all to play for and now we know a bit more about them too which will also help us,” Hoban said.
All to play for in Riga
Glentoran will feel they asked questions of RFS in Belfast and Hoban said they were unlucky not to score more than once. That is now the challenge: turn that promise into a performance in Riga on Thursday evening.
The equation is simple. RFS are ahead by one goal, but Glentoran know the tie is not beyond them. If they can reproduce the pressure they created in the first leg, they still have a route through in the Uefa Conference League.
