Midtjylland edged into the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League with a 3-2 victory over Bohemians, a match that refused to settle quietly and kept both sets of supporters on edge until an 88th-minute goal made the closing moments genuinely nervy. The Danish side did enough to advance, but the League of Ireland club made them earn every inch of it across a pulsating ninety minutes.

For long stretches Midtjylland looked in control, and their three-goal haul reflects the sustained pressure they applied through the tie. The Herning club carried a consistent attacking threat and converted their chances with the kind of clinical efficiency that earns progression in European knockout football. Three goals at this level is no small return, and FCM's forward play was the clearest reason they are the side moving on.

Yet Bohemians never accepted the role of passengers. The League of Ireland outfit competed in every department, and when they pulled it back to 3-2 at the 88th minute the match took on an entirely different complexion. Those final two minutes became a siege — the Irish side pushed numbers forward, and Midtjylland were suddenly required to defend with real urgency before the referee's whistle ended their anxiety and confirmed the result.

The individual performance that will linger longest in the memory belongs to Patrick Hickey. The Bohemians defender finished the match with 12 clearances — a figure that illustrates both the relentlessness of Midtjylland's attacking approach and the scale of the defensive effort the visitors produced. Without Hickey's repeated interventions, a 3-2 defeat could easily have become something far heavier. In a losing team his work rate and positioning stood apart.

Midtjylland progress to the next round with three goals to their name and questions to consider about the defensive lapses that allowed Bohemians two chances to score. Bohemians, meanwhile, leave the competition having pushed a Scandinavian club with considerable European pedigree to a tense, five-goal finish. Hickey's 12-clearance shift is the image that stays with this tie — an individual effort that told the full story of how hard Bohemians worked, and how fine the margins were by the end.