Hertha Berlin 2-0 St Patrick's Ath matchtracker

Read our live text updates from Shane Murray as St Pat's were beaten 2-0 by Hertha Berlin in the UEFA Cup first round first leg at the Olympic Stadium. Read from the bottom up.

FULL-TIME: Hertha Berlin 2-0 St Patrick's Athletic
So at the end of 90 minutes and at the halfway stage of the tie, Pat’s trail Hertha 2-0 after a gallant performance in front of a one-third full Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The hosts are well worth their two-goal advantage after a storming start to the second half, stirred by the half-time introduction of Nicu and Lustenberger. Pat’s matched them in most departments throughout, but the lack of pace and poise up front saw them fail to seriously test the home keeper Drobny. However, the unimpressive performance of centre-back Kaka and the ingenuity and guile of Dempsey and Fahey in Pat’s’ midfield will give McDonnell’s men hope for the second leg which, let’s not forget, will be played in front of a partisan home crowd at the RDS on 30 September.

92 mins Pat’s, to their credit, continue to probe and keep their hosts on their toes for the closing stages without seriously threatening Drobny's goal.

90 mins Maroslav Bialek replaces Dempsey, who put in an outstanding shift at the heart of the Pat’s midfield.

88 mins Fahey’s corner from left gets a flick at the near post but, typical of the lack of luck they have enjoyed tonight, the ball lands at the feet of a Hertha defender and is cleared.

84 mins The visibly tiring Fahey, who did well to even make the starting XI, plays another incisive ball through the Hertha rearguard but Bobby Ryan just fails to latch on to it.

83 mins Substitutions: Domovchiyski on for Pantelic. Glen Fitzpatrick on for O’Neill.

82 mins Cicero, doing a decent impression of Cristiano Ronaldo with a multitude of unnecessary stepovers, plays the ball out wide to Stein on the left, and his whipped centre finds the Brazilian who heads narrowly over.

76 mins GOAL! Voronin runs from deep and plays a neat one-two with Pantelic, whose shot deflects off Gavin into the path of Cicero, and the Brazilian slots home from close range with Ryan appearing to slip. 2-0

75 mins Pantelic breaks through at the other end but drives his shot into the chest of the resolute Harris, who along with Gavin, has been immense at the back for Pat’s.

72 mins A free-kick from Fahey hits the wall, but from the follow up Quigley almost finds his way through before his shot is blocked, while Kaka’s challenge on Guy brings appeals for a penalty from the Pat’s fans. A frantic few minutes for Pat’s and more proof that this Berlin team are not the world beaters you might expect from the Bundesliga.

70 mins Stein receives a yellow card for a cynical foul on Fahey after a brilliant one-two and run forward.

67 mins Pat’s fashion another excellent opening when Quigley plays a clever ball through to find O’Neill on the move inside the box, and his squared ball from the left just falls short of the in-rushing Dempsey. There will be more chances here for Pat’s if they can keep working for the full 90, make no mistake about that.

65 mins Jason Gavin does well at the back to get out in front of an opponent. A minute later he denies Voronin with another excellent block in the box and wins a free for his efforts.

64 mins Pat’s substitution: Bobby Ryan for Alan Kirby.

63 mins Voronin goes closer a minute later as he breaks through from inside the Pat’s half, but his teasing right-footer slides narrowly wide of the right post.

62 mins Hertha haven’t really threatened since the goal and Marc Stein’s long-range effort drifts harmlessly wide of Ryan’s left-hand post.

59 mins Pat’s go close to levelling when a well worked Fahey free-kick from deep finds Harris at the back post, and his header across the six yard box almost finds two Pat’s players (Quigley and O’Neill) closing in but Simunic clears under the crossbar.

56 mins Dempsey tracks back heroically to deny Voronin a clear opening after the former Liverpool man did well to ride a reckless challenge by Gavin, which would have been a clear penalty if he had gone down. However, he surprisingly kept his feet before the all-action Dempsey arrived to clear his lines.

52 mins Pat’s need to keep their heads now, and having trailed 2-0 in Sweden, they know 1-0 is not a disaster of a scoreline. However, this Hertha team are playing with renewed vigour and adventure and will be keen to capitalise on their greater share of possession.

50 mins GOAL! The early pressure pays off for Hertha as a corner is not dealt with properly, first Kirby clears off the line before Ryan punches clear to Maximilian Nicu just inside the box and the young sub chests and volleys over Ryan for a stunning opening goal. 1-0

47 mins Lustenberger and Nicu combine for the latter to again test Ryan, who has to save down low for the second time in a minute. The changes have made the desired impact for manager Lucien Favre and there is much more ambition to the hosts since the break.

46 mins Nicu shows early signs of intent with a burst from the left but Gavin comes across to clear. Cicero shoots from outside the box later in the same passage of play but Ryan gets down well to his right to save.

Couple of half-time substitutes for Hertha, with Nicu and Lustenberger on for the second half.

HALF-TIME: Hertha Berlin 0-0 St Patrick's Athletic
Ok, there have been a couple of nervous moments for Pat’s, but overall the Inchicore club are holding their own against their more illustrious opponents who boast a number of established internationals in their ranks. With a bit more belief, and a bit more poise on the ball, Pat’s could really cause their hosts problems, but you also get the feeling Hertha could step it up another gear if things continue at 0-0 for much longer. However, they haven’t broken through yet, and another 45 of similar intensity and graft could see Johnny McDonnell’s men do more than keep this tie alive for the return leg at the RDS on Tuesday, 30 September.

44 mins Dempsey nicks in to steal the ball in front of an opponent, plays a quick ball inside to Quigley, goes for the return but the striker’s pass is easily cut out and another promising Pat’s attack ends disappointly.

41 mins A brilliantly timed tackle from Byrne denies the Germans a chance at the other end. From 1-11, this Pat’s team are giving their all and, despite a couple of chances for the hosts, are well worth the 0-0 scoreline at this stage.

40 mins Pat’s create their best chance yet when an exquisite ball out to Quigley on the right from Fahey sees his cross almost find O’Neill racing in on the six-yard box, but a last ditch tackle from (?? Josip Simunic I think ??) sees the ball put behind for a corner which comes to nothing.

36 mins Fahey wins a free out on the right and his superbly flighted in-swinger cries out for a Pat’s head to connect at the far post but Hertha clear.

35 mins Pat’s haven’t had any real sustained period of possession, but in the last couple of minutes they have improved their ball retention and are giving the hosts a little bit to think about.

32 mins Hertha calls for a penalty are waved away by Polish referee Tomasz Mikulski as Byrne goes in solidly on a Berlin attacker.

29 mins A free-kick from Voronin on the right finds Kacar unmarked just inside the box, but he drags his low right-footed shot narrowly wide with two unmarked Hertha players lurking at the far post.

27 mins Friedrich drives down the right and rather than show him the line, deputy left-back Dessie Byrne shows him inside and Pat’s are lucky to escape as a Pat’s defender clears near the penalty spot.

25 mins McDonnell continues his instructions from the sideline as the home support increase the volume from the stands. Cries of ‘Red Army’ can also be heard from the Pat’s followers. To be honest, not much else to report as the game dips into a lull.

20 mins Gary Dempsey almost steals in in front of a hesitant Kaka and goalkeeper Jaro Drobny on the edge of the six-yard box after a long ball forward, but he scuffs his shot wide. Nervous moments for the hosts, but a rare glimpse that this Hertha team may have a weakness at the back.

16/17 mins Pat’s enjoy their best spell of the match. The busy Ryan Guy crosses from the right goal-line and Fahey follows up 35 yards out. However, Fahey uncharacteristically plays a careless ball straight back to the Germans and the chance is lost.

14 mins Another let off for Pat’s as Pantelic plays a defence splitting one-two with Piszczek, whose squared ball finds him again eight yards out. However, Pantelic’s right foot shot is superbly saved by Barry Ryan in the Pat’s goal and the danger is cleared by Jamie Harris.

12 mins Pat’s have been guilty of relinquishing possession all too easily in the opening exchanges and Gary O’Neill’s poor pass into the feet of Voronin sees the roaming attacker shoot wildly over from 35 yards. It’s a basic point, but Pat’s really need to do better when they have the ball.

10 mins Pat’s manager Johnny McDonnell can be heard shouting instructions at his players from the sideline. However, despite chasing the ball for much of the opening minutes, his side are doing well thus far. Can they keep it up?

8 mins Andriy Voronin, a recent signing from Liverpool who made his debut at the weekend, floats a dangerous ball in from the right which the alert Ryan Guy does brilliantly to nick away from Lukasz Piszczek at the back post. Great defending and a let off for the visitors.

6 mins It’s been a comfortable enough start for both sides, although the hosts, understandably, are enjoying the majority of possession. However, Keith Fahey is settling in quickly and an individual run from his own half, followed by a one-two, almost saw Pat’s break through at the other end.

3 mins Jason Gavin is lucky not to concede an early penalty after appearing to charge down a Marko Pantelic shot in the area with his arm. To be fair, he had his back turned and there didn’t seem to be any intent, but I’ve seen penalties given for less.

2 mins Gary O’Neill puts good pressure on centre-back Kaka to force a throw-in on the left.

5.00pm Game on, Hertha kick off.

4.59pm The teams enter the stadium, scene of the 2006 World Cup final, to rapturous applause. The stadium is by no means full, but the several hundred Pat's fans are making themselves heard.

4.55pm With five minutes to kick-off, tension is beginning to mount in the office, in spite of the fact there are no Pat's fans in sight. I can't imagine what it's like to be a Pat's fan in Berlin right now. Let's hope they build on their outstanding performances over the two legs against IF Elfsborg in the last round.

4.45pm Injury doubts Keith Fahey and Mark Quigley have been passed fit and the key duo will start in their traditional midfield and striker positions.

Hertha Berlin: Drobny, Friedrich, Kaká, Simunic, Stein (yellow 70), Piszczek, Dardai (Lustenberger h/t), Cícero, Kacar (Nicu h/t), Pantelic (Domocvhiyski 83), Voronin.

Subs not used: Gäng, von Bergen, Chahed.

St Patrick's Athletic: Barry Ryan, Lynch, Harris, Byrne, Gavin, Fahey, Dempsey (Bialek 90), Kirby (Bobby Ryan 63), Guy, O'Neill (Fitzpatrick 83), Quigley.

Subs not used: Friesz, O'Cearuill, O'Brien, Rogers.

Referee: Tomasz Mikulski (Poland).