Shamrock Rovers were architects of their own downfall as individual errors cost them dearly in a heavy defeat away to Belgian side KAA Gent.
It was a familiar story on the road for the Hoops as they left themselves too much to do as they trailed 2-0 inside 18 minutes and were picked off as they pushed up to force a route back in.
Rovers can reflect on an improved second-half display but all the damage was done early on, just as it had been in the qualifying rounds away to Ludogorets and Ferencvaros.
Early goals from Hugo Cuypers and Vadis Odjidja left Stephen Bradley's side with it all to do and captain Odjidja capped off the win with a stunning second-half strike.
Bradley would have been frustrated by the manner of the concession of each of the goals, the first of which arrived after just nine minutes.
Striker Malick Fofana was allowed drift between two defenders to cushion a diagonal ball back to Cuypers and he checked back before rifling a low shot past a helpless Alan Mannus.
Nine minutes later, another defensive howler saw Dan Cleary caught in possession in his own box by Cuypers.
The Drimnagh man did well to stop the striker getting a shot away but the loose ball looped to Odjidja on the edge of the area and he sent a stunning scissor-kick into the top corner.
Rovers did begin to put their foot on the ball and find space in the Gent half, and it was Cuypers again, in his defensive third, who proved the bane of Cleary’s half.
A quick corner saw Jack Byrne and Dylan Watts exchange a one-two and the former clipped the ball to the back post, only for Cuypers to beat Cleary with a superb defensive header.
The visitors had plenty of ball but struggled with Gent’s tireless pressing and the Belgians went close again before half time as Mannus did well to parry Jordan Torunarigha’s bending shot.
Watts had Rovers’ first effort on goal early in the second half as he rifled over from 25 yards before Rory Gaffney tested Nardi with a well-struck volley on the half-turn.
Byrne then went agonisingly close to finding the top corner with a swerving effort after Gaffney had laid back Watts’ lovely ball over the top.
Within a minute, it was game over as Fofana picked out Odjadji, again unmarked on the edge of the box, and he smashed a beautiful shot with the outside of his boot into the top corner.
Rovers continued to create and Lee Grace was inches from connecting with sub Aaron Greene’s cross.
And Gaffney should have scored after Gent keeper Daniel Nardi inexplicably passed the ball to an injured defender and Greene picked up the loose ball.
He played the ball inside to Gaffney but, instead of going first time with his left foot, he controlled and shot, giving the keeper enough time to get out and make amends with a low save.
A poor backpass from on-loan Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jens-Petter Hauge played in Justin Ferizaj but his shot from a close angle was again saved by the ex-Lorient stopper.
The visitors never gave up but it was a reminder of the step up in class at group stage level as Gent comfortably saw out the game to move top of the group.
KAA Gent: Paul Nardi; Joseph Okumu, Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Jordan Torunarigha (Bruno Godeau 46); Alessio Castro-Montes, Sven Kums, Hong Hyun-suk (Andrew Hjulsager 67), Jens Petter Hauge; Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe (Elisha Owusu 67), Hugo Cuypers, Malick Fofana (Laurent Depoitre 67)
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Seán Gannon, Dan Cleary, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn (Neil Farrugia 75), Chris McCann (Seán Kavanagh 46), Gary O’Neill, Andy Lyons, Jack Byrne (Neeil Farrugia 75), Dylan Watts (Aaron Greene 66), Rory Gaffney (Graham Burke 75).
Referee: Visar Kastrati (Kosovo).
