By Rory Houston - sportonline@rte.ie
1956 Thanks for reading tonight. We'll be back for every Shamrock Rovers game in the Europa League, including special coverage of the game against Tottenham Hotspur. There is a report on tonight's game in the Soccer section. See you in two weeks.
1954 Tottenham Hotspur and PAOK have drawn 0-0 so Rovers are bottom of the group.
1953 It was a spirited performance from Shamrock Rovers. They gave everything and unfortunately Rubin Kazan were at a different level.
1951 Dynamo Kiev have equalised in the last minute against Stoke City.
1950 A night for Shamrock Rovers to look at how they can build and compete with the class of Rubin Kazan. Rovers never had a chance in this game and it was a hard lesson.
Full-time: Shamrock Rovers 0-3 Rubin Kazan
90 + 2 min Kazan are stroking the ball around comfortably. The first of six Europa League adventures is about to come to an end.
90 min There will be three minutes of added-time. It looks like Rovers' quest for a consolation goal will come up short.
88 min Ryazantsev shoots over from outside the box as the game winds down.
86 min Kilduff looks for a penalty but it is a laughable appeal having slipped on the surface rather than connected with the Russian defender.
83 min The Hoops are throwing plenty of bodies forward with Sullivan looping a header that the goalkeeper catches with ease.
81 min Dennehy's low shot is pushed away by Sergei Ryzhikov and when the ball is returned, Chris Turner can't find the connection to beat the goalkeeper.
80 min Ansaldi fouls O'Donnell around 25 yards from goal. This is a good chance for Rovers, with the noise from the home support growing and growing.
77 min Billy Dennehy mis-kicks at the crucial moment with just the goalkeeper to beat. Rovers are refusing to lie down but it is all about a consolation goal rather than the outcome of the game.
75 min Kilduff gets behind the Russian defence but unfortunately the goalkeeper is the first to the ball. It is all-Rovers now, though the counter-attack remains a worry.
72 min Kilduff tries to outpace the Rubin Kazan defence and looks to have worked space, until Vitali Kaleshin makes the interception. Good spirit from the Hoops.
69 min Natcho's shot from distance strikes the post and rebounds off Thompson. Luckily for Rovers, it doesn't lead to another opportunity.
66 min That really has killed off all hope for Rovers but their fans are still in good voice. Rubin are passing it about with ease.
64 min O'Donnell's effort is saved by Sergei Ryzhikov to compound the home side's misery. Ryzhikov dived to the right to keep out the penalty. Chris Turner came on for Ricketts in between. Ridiculous to make a subsitute at that time, increasing the pressure on O'Donnell.
63 min Twigg is dragged down by Navas close in on goal, it should be a red card but the defender gets away with a yellow. Stephen O'Donnell will take the kick, with Michael O'Neill curiously making a substitute before it.
PENALTY TO SHAMROCK ROVERS
60 min Sensational goal as Rubin keep the ball on the edge of the Rovers area and expose. Gokdeniz Karadeniz cuts back inside the box and bullts the ball off the crossbar and into the net.
GOAL - RUBIN KAZAN - KARADENIZ
1913 It remains 0-0 in the game between PAOK and Tottenham Hotspur. Stoke City lead 1-0 against Dynamo Kiev.
57 min There is plenty of space for Rubin to exploit as Aleksandr Ryazantsev heads over following a surging run by Gokdeniz Karadeniz.
55 min Billy Dennehy and Ciaran Kilduff come on for Conor McCormack and Ronan Finn. This could be a 4-4-2 formation which will address the lack of width for the home side.
53 min Enda Stevens blocks Valdez's cross but the corner doesn't present any goal threat.
51 min Fantastic opportunity for Rovers to get a goal back as Twigg flicks on to Finn at the back post. The ex-UCD midfielder doesn't make a great connection with the free header and goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov palms it away.
50 min That could be the end of Shamrock Rovers' hopes and what a goal it is. McCormack cleared the ball from the Rovers box but it falls to Noboa who plants an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Thompson barely saw it.
GOAL - RUBIN KAZAN - NOBOA
47 min Sharanov comes back on the pitch and Rubin will break again.
46 min Stevens and Ricketts combine to cause trouble for Rubin Kazan. Sharanov rids the danger but picks up an injury in the process. He rolls of the pitch and the game will continue.
1901 Bystrov comes on for Martins, who looked a bit laboured at times in the first half.
1900 The teams are out for the second half as Rovers try to rescue a point from this game. Rubin will be looking to finish off the match and kill any momentum the Hoops can build.
1845 The referee doesn't add any extra time at the end of the half. Michael O'Neill will be happy to hear the whistle. He can regroup now and plan to claw his side back on level terms.
Half-time: Shamrock Rovers 0-1 Rubin Kazan
44 min Thompson's poor kicking is exposed twice in a minute as he gives the ball back to Rubin. It looks as if the Russian side will lead by just a goal at the break with little pace to the game currently.
41 min Karadeniz asks Valdez to make a move to the near post but there is too much weight on the pass.
39 min Gokdeniz Karadeniz is threatening down the left once again but this time the cross is poor and the ball goes wide.
36 min Valdez steps up to take the kick with Thompson getting down and making a brilliant save. Dan Murray gets to the ball first and clear. Tallaght erupts. Rovers are still in this.
35 min Martins outpaces Craig Sives and the defender is on the wrong side of the Rubin man and pushes him to the ground.
PENALTY TO RUBIN KAZAN
33 min Rubin Kazan get numbers in the Rovers area with Dan Murray clearing a cross from Bibras Natkho.
31 min Vitali Kaleshin receives treatment for an injury for Rubin. I've been surprised by how the Russian side have dropped their tempo. Rovers are giving everything and there is a danger they might tire in the second half.
28 min Ronan Finn fouls Salvatore Bocchetti (great name) close to the touchline as a Rovers attack comes to an end. The atmosphere has dipped in recent minutes.
26 min Valdez tries to play Martins in on goal but the former Newcastle striker reacts slowly and allows Thompson to come out and claim the ball.
22 min The Hoops are working a lot harder than Rubin Kazan currently and has led to Rovers enjoying the better of the game for the last 10 minutes or so. No chances since O'Donnell headed over though, I'm afraid.
20 min Rovers have been improving in recent minutes as O'Donnell tries to pick out Twigg in the area but it is ruled offside. They have recovered from the goal and are beginning to link up in midfield.
17 min Ricketts is fouled in the middle of the field by Aleksandr Ryazantsev but it comes to nothing and Valdez makes a brilliant run through the Rovers defence. Rice eventually got a block on the ball but the piece of play showed the gulf in class.
15 min Great chance for Rovers as Twigg's flick allows Ricketts to run down the left and cross for the free man O'Donnell. The goalkeeper comes out and jumps with the ex-Galway midfielder and sees the header loop over the bar. Encouraging.
13 min Rovers are tryin to keep the ball in their own half and settle into this game. Rubin look very dangerous going forward and are not happy to sit back.
11 min Rovers have their first attack of note with Sullivan bursting down the right and Rubin clearing with ease.
9 min Valdez blazes over after Martins worked room in the penalty area. That was another worrying moment for the home side.
7 min Pat Sullivan prevents Karadeniz from shooting into an empty net after Martins crossed following Dan Murray error.
4 min Tallaght is stunned by that soft goal. It is the start Rubin wanted and Rovers have to be careful this game doesn't run away from them.
3 min Disasterous start for Shamrock Rovers as a low cross into the Rovers box by Gokdeniz Karadeniz somehow falls to Martins who places the ball into the corner of the net. There were four Rovers players in the area but Martins managed to squeeze ahead of all the Hoops men.
GOAL - RUBIN KAZAN - OBAFEMI MARTINS
1 min The game is underway with Rubin immediately taking charge of the ball and on the attack.
1757 The Rovers players look very relaxed amid an amazing atmosphere. The new stand behind the goal is far from full so it is not a sellout.
1755 The players are in the tunnel, reading for a bit of history.
1752 "It is amazing to see this level of football for Rovers, even though Johnny Giles had great plans in the 70s. 0-0 would be a great result tonight. Good luck lads."
Noel Bell - London
1748 The atmosphere is building in Tallaght. It is hard to believe what is about to take place. The progress Irish football has made has been rewarded and I hope it bears more fruit tonight.
1742 The other game in Group A sees Tottenham Hotspur take on PAOK. Spurs have fielded a second-string side with 10 changes from the weekend.
1737 The only worry about the Shamrock Rovers team is maybe it will be a bit off-balanced. Billy Dennehy is an important player for the Hoops so I am surprised to see the Kerry man on the bench.
1730 Rubin Kazan: Sergei Ryzhikov, Salvatore Bocchetti, Vitali Kaleshin, Cesar Navas, Roman Sharonov, Gokdeniz Karadeniz, Bibras Natkho, Christian Noboa, Aleksandr Ryazantsev, Obafemi Martins, Nelson Valdez
1728 The game kicks-off at 6pm by the way, just to remind you.
1727 Chris Turner, Karl Sheppard and Ciaran Kilduff are among the substitutes. That is not a bad selection of players to call upon. Now for the Kazan team.
1724 I like the look of the Rovers team. Rice, McCormack and O'Donnell will try to stifle Rubin Kazan with Ricketts and Finn likely to be tasked with cutting open the Russian side. There is another tough night in store for Twigg. He will have to do a lot of chasing.
1717 Shamrock Rovers: Ryan Thompson, Pat Sullivan, Dan Murray, Craig Sives, Enda Stevens, Stephen Rice, Conor McCormack, Stephen O'Donnell, Rohan Ricketts, Ronan Finn, Gary Twigg.
1700 Michael O'Neill said: "It's a big game, it what you want to be involved in as a player, as a manager, as a coach and I look forward to the challenge now of the Europa League.
"I am not really one for making bold statements that it is going to be the biggest night of my career or anything like that.
"It's an occasion for the players to savour, for the supporters to savour and for the staff and everyone connected with the club to savour, and that's what we intend to do.
"The expectation level is with Kazan and we have everything to gain from this game and he other five games that we play in the Europa League."
1650 It is likely that Rovers will use the same tactics that have served them so well so far this year in Europe. The problem is goals may be hard to come by but if they can stay in the game for as long as possible, Belgrade memories will ignite.
1648 Some things never change!
1647 "Best of Luck to Rubin Kazan from all at Dalymount Park."
Peter Synnott
1640 We will have the team as soon as it is announced. Obafemi Martins, a familiar face to English football fans in this country, is likely to lead the Rubin attack. Obafemi Martins vs Dan Murray. I hope my "o", "u", "t", "p", "a", "c", "e" and "d" keys survive.
1625 Thanks to Brian Phillips for tweeting this photo of Shamrock Rovers arriving at Tallaght Stadium 15 minutes ago. Michael O'Neill has said he knows what team he will deploy and I'm sure at this stage the Hoops players are aware of it. There were plenty of changes for the St Patrick's Athletic game last Monday.
1615 Russian giant Rubin Kazan are in Tallaght Stadium to take on Ireland's reigning champions Shamrock Rovers in their first match of the Europa League Group A. It is a daunting task for Michael O'Neill side, but we have already seen this European campaign that anything is possible.
1610 From RTÉ Soccer Correspondent Tony O'Donoghue on Twitter: "Hoops, you owe us nothing. Enjoy the Europa experience. Already, we are proud.
