St Mirren scored four as we defeated Valur to progress to the Third Qualifying Round in the UEFA Conference League.
A special night in Paisley saw the Buddies victorious thanks to goals from Shaun Rooney, Toyosi Olusanya, Mark O'Hara and Alex Iacovitti. Saints will face Norwegian side SK Brann next week in the Third Qualifying Round.
The manager made four changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Valur in Reykjavík last week. In came Rooney for his debut, while Roland Idowu, Dennis Adeniran and Jonah Ayunga also started. Caolan Boyd-Munce and Mikael Mandron were unavailable due to injury while Elvis Bwomono and Oisin Smyth dropped to the bench.
Saints started brightly on the hunt for a first European goal in 37 years. It almost came on just six minutes when Jaden Brown's ball in from the left found Ayunga but the forward didn't get the connection required to turn it beyond Frederik Schram in the Valur goal.
The Buddies would only have to wait a further 10 minutes for the breakthrough with Rooney's head sending the Paisley crowd into raptures. The defender got on the end of a perfect delivery from captain O'Hara to bullet home a debut goal.
But no sooner than Saints had gone ahead, the visitors were denied an instant equaliser by Ellery Balcombe. Jonatan Ingi Jonsson's exquisite reverse pass found Tryggvi Hrafn Haraldsson in acres of space inside the penalty area. He looked poised to level but Balcombe spread himself well and knocked the effort over.
Idowu - who looked a big threat for the Buddies in Iceland last week - was inches away from doubling our advantage on 21 minutes when he saw a strike from 20 yards fizz just over the bar. Five minutes later, Ayunga passed up a huge chance after meeting a cross from the right, but he got the header wrong and glanced well wide.
Saints started with the same intensity at the beginning of the second-half. Marcus Fraser rose the highest to meet another brilliant O'Hara corner but he nodded just by the right-hand post.
Stephen Robinson's men would add the second they deserved when Olusanya opened his account for the season. Ayunga won his header and flicked on for Idowu who unselfishly rolled into the path of Olusanya. The forward rolled into the empty net to double our advantage.
The Buddies continued to press for more goals and Ayunga was denied by a terrific save from Schram when the Valur goalkeeper touched over. The third goal would come on 65 minutes with Ayunga playing his part in what was a stunning goal. The forward headed on Rooney's throw-in and skipper O'Hara swept a beautiful volley that flew into the top corner of the net - shades of Zinedine Zidane at Hampden in 2002!
Valur pulled a goal back with 15 minutes remaining when Haraldsson scored from the penalty spot. Jaden Brown was penalised for a foul in the box and Haraldsson rolled it into the right-hand corner. It was nothing more than a consolation for the Icelandic side as Saints would have the final say when debutant Iacovitti scored from close-range on 87 minutes to round off a wonderful night in Paisley that will be sure to live long in the memory.
Full-Time: St Mirren 4-1 Valur
St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, R.Taylor (Iacovitti 71), Rooney (Bwomono 71), Idowu (F.Taylor 89), Adeniran (Smyth 71), O'Hara (c), Brown, Olusanya (Scott 71), Ayunga
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Kelly, Kenny, Tanser, Sutherland, Mooney, Jamieson
Valur: Schram, Gunnarsson, Pálsson, Antonsson, Larusson (Eyjólfsson 62), Jonsson, Heimisson, Sigurdsson, Tryggvason (Saevarsson 32), Pedersen (Finsen 81), Haraldsson
Subs Not Used: Agustsson, Kristinsson, Helgason, Unnarsson, Ómarsson, Stephensen, Finsen
Referee: Mikkel Redder
Assistant Referee: René Risum
Assistant Referee: Martin Markus
Fourth Official: Michael Tykgaard
Attendance: 6,715
