Skupy players lost 3:1 away to Shamrock Rovers in the first match of the third qualifying round for placement in the Europa League.

The Macedonian champion can regret that in the rematch, which will be played next week, he will be chasing a two-goal deficit because he conceded a goal in the last moments of the match, in the 97th minute.

Shamrock took the lead in the 13th minute through Graham Burke from the penalty spot after Shkupi's latest signing Albert Diene was recklessly fouled in his own penalty area.

The Irish team took a 29:2 lead in the 0th minute after Watts crowned the excellent action that started in his own half with a goal.

In the second half, Shkupi managed to reduce the score to 2:1 with Kueven's goal. In the 77th minute, the Brazilian managed to beat the Shamrock goalkeeper Manus with a fantastic shot from 30 meters.

But in the finish, Shkupi failed to keep the minimal deficit, first in the 84th minute they were left with one player less after Hamidi Seto's red card, and then in the 97th minute they conceded a goal for 3:1. The scorer of the last goal of the meeting was O'Neill. The return match will be played next week in Skopje.