Questions have been asked, doubts cast, about this Drogheda United team since winning the League of Ireland last November, but they answered their critics with this thoroughly professional dismantling of the Estonian champions in Tallinn last Wednesday.

Paul Doolin's men faced a Levadia side who have lost one out of 18 league games this season, scoring at the rate of almost three goals per game. And having conceded in the first leg, Drogheda knew that a 1-0 defeat would have sent them out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.

The tie looked finely poised as the teams lined up for the pre-match pleasantries and the media parked their backsides on concrete steps, cushioned only by a couple of thin mats.

Out in the middle the temperature hovered around 30C, and one feared for the health of the 150 or so Drogheda supporters who faced straight into the blazing sunshine opposite the solitary covered stand. Still, they provided all the colour and most of the noise throughout the game, even at the start when Levadia looked the more likely to break the deadlock.

Bizarrely, the stadium announcer did not begin reading out the teams until after the kick-off, and he was still going through the names when Tarmo Kink made room for a shot, only to drag his effort wide.

Only a timely intervention by Tihhon Sisov prevented Eamon Zayed getting a decisive touch to Ollie Cahill's lofted ball into the box in the seventh minute, and soon after Fahrudin Kuduzovic had claims for a penalty turned down when he went sprawling in the box after trying to squeeze between three defenders.

Levadia should have gone ahead in the eighth minute, though, when Kink sent Konstantin Nahk clear on the left, with the Drogheda defence posted absent. As he bore down on goal, Nahk looked certain to score, but showed a lack of composure as he blasted the ball across the six-yard box and out for a throw.

Sander Puri and Vitali Leitan had headed chances but could not find a way past Ewings, and Andrei Kalimullin's re-taken 40-yard free kick hit the defensive wall. Nahk hit a free from similar distance but Adam Hughes held his ground to block the fiercely struck effort.

It all smacked of desperation from the Estonians, who seemed to lack the imagination needed to carve open the Drogheda defence. The ever-threatening Kink did have another strike at goal just before half time, but it was a poor effort which came just after the visitors had enjoyed their best chance.

A free kick from Keegan was headed back into the six-yard area by Hughes and Richie Baker flicked the ball on to Cahill whose shot was blocked by Taijo Teniste.

The Levadia team strolled back onto the field for the second half in disjointed fashion, and their downbeat body language suggested they were there for the taking.

Drogheda took full advantage of their opponents' apparent lack of spirit by putting one foot in the next round within 75 seconds of the restart. The goal stemmed from a corner kick by Paul Keegan, whose inswinging effort bounced through a crowd of players in the six-yard area before being bundled home by Graham Gartland.

What joy for the man whose heartbreaking mistake led to Levadia's goal at Dalymount Park a week earlier!

Seemingly not content with that, Drogheda proceeded to create two further chances within a minute of each other. Another Keegan corner was flicked on by Kuduzovic and Gartland just failed to get a touch as he stuck out his boot.

And when Zayed contested a header with two defenders and the ball broke kindly for Adam Hughes, the Australian struck a sweet 20-yard shot which grazed Martin Kaalma's right-hand post.

Zayed's best contribution came in the 53rd minute when he drove forward towards the edge of the Levadia box before hitting a powerful shot which Kaalma did well to divert away for a corner.

But there was a scare for Drogheda on 56 minutes, Kalimullin heading against the outside of the post from a Nahk free kick, and when veteran international Indrek Zelinski hooked into the side netting within seconds of coming on as a sub, the Estonians perhaps sensed that the tie might yet turn their way.

Sander Puri ought to have levelled moments later after being set up by Zelinski, but instead he opted to tee up Kink whose diagonal shot from an awkward angle never threatened Ewings' goal.

Baker briefly threatened when he took Keegan's diagonal pass on the volley and angled a cross-shot onto the roof of the Levadia net, but Ewings was relieved to keep out a Kink shot which seemed to pass through a defender's legs just in front of the keeper.

A moment of madness from Vadim Petrenko cost the Estonians dear in the 66th minute when, having already been booked for a foul on Cahill, he was shown a second yellow card, followed by red, for use of the elbow.

Immediately Drogheda took play up the other end and a Baker free kick was half-cleared to Cahill whose goal-bound shot was blocked by Nahk. The Estonian number eight was denied in similar fashion by Hughes, before having a free kick blocked by Drogheda's defensive wall which did not flinch.

With 15 minutes left, 10-man Levadia needed two goals just to force extra time and the gaps began to appear in their defence as they became ever more desperate. Zayed should have exploited the space when he was sent through on goal by Baker, but his unconvincing shot was easily saved by Kaalma.

Two minutes later Zayed steamed into the box again. This time his left-foot shot was parried by Kaalma, and in the follow-up Kuduzovic headed inches wide.

There was an amusing moment when Hughes took a knock to the head and the referee insisted on having him removed to the side of the pitch on a stretcher, only for the Australian to climb straight off and return to the heat of the battle!

It was Hughes who forced another save from Kaalma on 81 minutes after Kuduzovic had robbed a defender before teeing up his former Sligo colleague.

Zayed's easiest opportunity came three minutes later when he sprung the offside trap and ran onto Baker's pass, took the ball past Kaalma but then mistakenly hit the ball with his left boot as he attempted to fire to the empty net with his right.

The Levadia supporters seemed to enjoy Zayed's misfortune more than any of their own team's attacking manoeuvres, judging by their reaction.

Perhaps there were a few tired Drogheda legs in the final five minutes as the strain of playing three games in eight days began to take its toll.

Levadia, who had their league game cancelled the previous weekend, almost set up a grandstand finish when Nahk curled a free kick inches wide, with Ewings rooted to the spot.

But the keeper spectacularly denied the Estonians a consolation goal in the fourth and final minute of injury time when he somehow clawed Teniste's volley round the post.

The final whistle was almost an anti-climax as the result never looked in doubt once Petrenko had been given his marching orders, but still the Boynesiders' celebrations were surprisingly muted given the enormity of their achievement.

Remember, with five international players in their starting line-up to Drogheda's none, Levadia would have been fancied by many to come through this tie.

Some Irish photographers were even giving out that they had no pictures of jubilant players to send back home to the papers!

Nevertheless, some of the spirit and togetherness of the squad, which had seemed to be dissipating in recent weeks, appeared to have been rediscovered during this tie.

That might indicate that Drogheda will still have something to play for come the business end of this season.