Slovakians Kosice did not spare Cliftonville another embarrassing European night, despite this tie being effectively over after the first leg. Leading 5-1 after their match in Northern Ireland, Kosice produced some precision play and left the part-timers out of their depth and chasing shadows.
Five goals in a superb second half performance put paid to any hopes Cliftonville harboured of gaining any credit from this European venture, and left manager Marty Quinn "embarrassed".
He said: "This shows the real difference in class in the game today.
"Our football isn't so bad but it's years off the standard at which Kosice play. Let's face it, we were never going to create a shock out here, but I would have liked to get on the scoresheet.
"I'm embarrassed but this gives me a greater determination to defend our league title and come back into Europe next year with the lessons we have learned from these games."
Jan Kozak opened the scoring for Kosice after just three minutes, followed by Vladimir Janocko and Szilard Nemeth on the half hour.
Kosice simply chased a cricket score after the interval, with Martin Prohaszka hitting two, Janocko grabbing his second and Rusian Lubarskij and Jozef Kozlef also netting.
