Shamrock Rovers recorded another famous European victory against Norwegian side Molde, as 16-year-old Michael Noonan created history with a debut goal.
The Hoops secured the advantage going into their UEFA Conference League knockout phase second leg in Tallaght Stadium next week as 10-man Molde were left stunned by the 1-0 defeat.
Noonan becomes the youngest goalscorer in modern era of European competition, beating Romelu Lukaku who previously held the record.
Ghana international and former Aston Villa player Nii Lamptey holds all-time record after he scored for Anderlecht against Roma in the UEFA Cup in 1991 at 16 years and 100 days old.
Valdemar Lund was sent off in the first half for bringing down Noonan in the major turning point in the game.
The teenager was handed a starting role for his debut for the Hoops, lining up in attack alongside makeshift front man Danny Mandriou.
The game started with a feeling of a pre-season fixture, which perhaps shouldn't have come as a major surprise given both sides have yet to play a league game.
Molde were on top with a comfortable save for McGinty from Kristian Eriksen their only threat at goal.
Magnus Wolff Eikrem’s shot over the crossbar was a worry for the visitors.
But the game changed when, on a Shamrock Rovers breakaway, Noonan made a clever run and just had Lund to beat to race towards goal.
Lund opted to jump into a tackle and took out the teenager, leading to a red card.
Before half-time a deflected effort from Mandriou summed up their growing dominance while Daniel Cleary’s knockdown for Roberto Lopes' shot was just wide in their best chance of the 45 minutes.
Outside of the red card, there was little to report overall, although Noonan certainly made an impression with his level of performance.
Another debutant, Matt Healy, saw his effort outside the box go wide early in the second half with the Dublin side looking for a deserved breakthrough.
It came in the form of a historic moment for Noonan.
Mats Dahli was pressed by Dylan Watts, with the midfielder winning back the ball inside the home side’s box and finding Noonan to slot home from close range.
The goal drew wild celebrations from the 200 fans from Ireland and gave them a lead to defend.
Chances were at a premium for the remainder of the game, with Aaron Greene and Graham Burke introduced to hold the ball up and kill the game.
McGinty had just a single save to make in the entire game as a stuttering Molde failed to create any danger.
Greene came close to a second goal as his link-up with Burke drew a smart save from Jacob Karlstorm.
The victory creates a major night at Tallaght Stadium next week, with a 10,000 sell-out crowd on the cards and a prospect of a place in the round of 16 of a group phase competition for the Hoops.
Next up for Bradley's men is another piece of history as 30,000 fans are expected at their league opener against Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.
