The story of Dundalk’s evening began to unfold after just 40 seconds of football.

With a raucous crowd looking to stir memories of famous nights in Tallaght, Michael Duffy drilled home a precise Will Patching pass to raise the roof.

Alas, the celebrations were cut short by an offside flag that few were anticipating. It was a tight call that set the tone for a night of frustration that ended with Vitesse Arnhem breathing a huge sigh of relief.

They were out on their feet in the dying stages, running down the clock in a feisty conclusion as a Dundalk side with more gas in the tank mounted a comeback from two goals down to come agonisingly close to sending this encounter to extra-time.

There is no shame in departing the competition to a side from the Eredivisie, but the quirks of UEFA’s ranking system created a situation where Dundalk were actually the seeded team against an opponent from the continent’s seventh best league.

That’s a product of their outstanding individual record in recent years whereas Vitesse haven’t qualified all that regularly and are lower down UEFA’s charts.

As they dust themselves down, the burning question around Dundalk is whether they can extend their sequence of successive European qualifications to nine years.

With the highest wage bill in the country that shouldn’t even be in doubt, but Vinny Perth is trying to bring stability to a season that has lurched from one drama to another.

They wouldn’t be seventh in the league if they were performing at the level they have reached on their European run.

But the club’s direction now hinges on the whims of their American owners.

Knocking Vitesse out of the competition would have competed favourably with any of the glorious results from the Stephen Kenny years.

And Dundalk will regret letting Vitesse off the ropes when they succeeded in pegging them there.

Granted, Perth’s side rode their luck for large periods of the first leg before the wizardry of Patrick McEleney turned that game on its head.

But a communication breakdown in defence gifted Vitesse a late equaliser and those same flaws were apparent in the first 45 here with the Dutch side showing much more of a killer instinct.

They were under the cosh early doors, with the Duffy let off followed by a near miss for Pat Hoban and a deflected McEleney strike that was inches from glory.

Dundalk’s approach was pitch perfect in the opening quarter and, contrary to expectations, it was Vitesse that had to weather an initial storm.

However, they are a confident attacking team and their quality going forward quickly came to the fore.

Vitesse’s business model revolves around housing young talent on the way to their next destination and in right wing-back Million Manhoef, they have another player that will eventually go for big bucks.

His father, Melvin is an MMA star but the 19-year-old packs a punch of a different kind.

He was dangerous, but the pair of Vitesse goals before the interval came from finding space in the heart of the Dundalk team. Slovakian international Matus Bero forced home the opener just before the half hour mark after a Nikolai Frederiksen shot took a wicked deflection off Andy Boyle and into his path.

Manhoef almost doubled their advantage immediately with a mazy solo run, yet there was no respite for the white shirts and they weren’t able to navigate a sticky period without shipping more damage. Again, they were prised apart far too easily and Yann Gboho enjoyed the freedom to dart through and slip the ball past the hesitant Alessio Abibi.

That left Dundalk facing a mountain but their approach to climbing it was admirable. Vitesse had made a couple of defensive changes before a foul on Duffy in the area allowed Hoban to convert from the spot.

And a series of attacking subs brought about a stirring conclusion where Vitesse appeared to be shellshocked. Keeper Markus Schubert stepped up when it mattered, producing a fine save from the rampaging Duffy before denying Raivis Jurkovskis from close range. White shirts were everywhere apart from the six-yard box when a late Daniel Kelly cross rolled across it with Vitesse all at sea. But they hung on to set up a showdown with Anderlecht.

Dundalk – Abibi, Dummigan, Boyle, Nattestad (Jurkovskis 72), Leahy; Sloggett, Stanton (Kelly 58); McEleney, Patching (McMillan 72), Duffy; Hoban.

Vitesse – Schubert, Doekhi (Domgzoni 84), Bazoer, Oroz; Manhoef (Vroegh 78), Tronstad, Gboho (Hajek 63), Wittek; Frederiksen (Vonmoos 63), Darfalou, Bero.

Ref – Alain Durieux (Luxembourg)