St Johnstone 1 Rosenborg 1: In danger of being deflated, but Perth side hold breath to live on

SO much for those who say that Perth never has the feel of a proper football town, or that St Johnstone do not have it in them to rise and deliver to a committed, passionate support.

McDiarmid Park last night witnessed the completion of an entirely unexpected, delicious Scottish win in Europe and the place throbbed in celebration.

St Johnstone defended their startling first-leg win in Norway with character and maturity, and by holding Rosenborg to a draw they dumped them out 2-1 on aggregate. It amounted to bringing down one of the most established, familiar names in European football. The greatest Perth team of them all put Hamburg out of the Uefa Cup in 1971 but this eclipsed anything they have done in Europe since, including the home draw with Monaco in 1999. So what if they have played just seven European home games in 42 years? They have never lost any of them, not to mention the fact they have not been beaten at all in Perth for nine months. It will not get a whole lot better than this for new manager Tommy Wright.

FC Minsk await in the Europa League's third qualifying round next Thursday. The Belarusians took care of Malta's Valletta 3-1 on aggregate and maybe St Johnstone's run will not go any further. This will live long in their memory, whatever happens, as Stevie May scored the goal which cancelled out the early Rosenborg opener which threatened to turn the night into a dreary anticlimax.

St Johnstone were tenacious and gutsy and their defending saw them through even if it was seat-of-the-pants stuff near the end. Rosenborg were mediocre and wasteful with their chances but it was not a night for being sniffy about victory over a team with a couple of Norwegian internationalists and one Danish. On the night of Hibernian's disgrace, St Johnstone, at least, can raise their hand the next time anyone asks who other than Celtic has done anything for Scotland's Uefa coefficient.

McDiarmid Park lapped it up. The place was not full but the attendance was a fine 7850 and the excitement among the locals was palpable. They do not usually show in force but that first-leg result demanded a turn-out and they delivered one. They were keyed up, hopeful and tense. It gave the atmosphere some real electricity. Alexander Soderlund had not signed for Rosenborg in time to start the first leg – he came on as a substitute in Trondheim – but he gave them a real option here. The big, barrel-chested Norwegian internationalist was always a handful for Frazer Wright and Steven Anderson and redrew the tie right at the start by scoring in the fourth minute. Jonas Svensson found him with a pass and Soderlund sent a shot through Wright's legs and past Alan Mannus. McDiarmid Park briefly felt like a balloon with all the air rushing out.

This was not a night for going down tamely, though. St Johnstone's response to that instant blow turned this into an engrossing, open night. They refused to allow their bright early play to be derailed and came at Rosenborg again. Even when they were careless themselves at the back – midfielder Gary McDonald almost letting the Norwegians in by giving the ball away cheaply – they gathered themselves to press again. David Wotherspoon was everywhere across midfield, using the ball cleverly in an outstanding display. Nigel Hasselbaink had the beating of the right-back, Steven Maclean played intelligently and May was direct, hungry and strong. When Wotherspoon played a ball over the top of the Rosenborg defence it should have been either Mikael Dorsin's ball or goalkeeper Daniel Orlund's. They dithered and May sensed his chance, accelerating to stick out a leg and jab the ball beyond the goalkeeper into the corner.

Centre-half Per Ronning had been off the field receiving treatment at the time, but it still should have been dealt with by the visitors. The poor defending was symptomatic of their ordinary play. They were a shadow of the teams who were a Champions League group force and even quarter-finalists in 1997. St Johnstone would have scored another if Hasselbaink's low shot had been on target after another pass turned the Rosenborg defence and exposed its lack of pace.

Still, St Johnstone held their breath. They were in a winning position but it felt like being on a high wire. Another away goal would have sunk them. Soderlund threatened with a header, then he slipped an inviting pass to Tobias Mikkelsen only for the Dane to sclaff over the bar. Rosenborg pressed. Nicki Nielsen flashed a shot at Mannus, which he did very well to parry away. Borek Dockal whacked a shot which took a deflection to send it fizzing just past a post for a corner. St Johnstone were on the back foot and vulnerable. When a ball went straight through the middle Jon Ingle Hoiland was clean through, but fired straight at Mannus. The crowd had fallen into a nervous hush. Finally the Czech referee's whistle liberated them, and they let rip.

Taken from the Herald