City lose battle, but win war

Cork City 0 FK Ekranas 1 (City win 2 –1 on aggregate)

City manager Damien Richardson, though, praised the attitude of his team, terming it a game that they won ugly: "It's all about winning call it winning ugly but I was delighted with the attitude shown by the team on a difficult night.

"We were very good over there but here tonight I though we played effectively. It wasn't the free-flowing football we played last week.

"They didn't create as many chances as I thought they would," added Richardson. "And towards the end they didn't take their chances.

"It was nerve-wracking towards the end, but I couldn't have seen them scoring another goal. We worked really hard especially around midfield and under difficult circumstances the likes of Greg O'Halloran and Joe Gamble had outstanding games."

Maybe it was the 3-5-2 Ekranas formation or the tempo of European football but there was something ponderous, even pedestrian, about City's play, particularly in the opening half.

With more or less the same personnel on view from last Friday night's all-singing, all dancing win over Shamrock Rovers, City's play lacked fluency with any semblance of continuity broken up by either side's propensity in making poor passes.

Allied to this was a free-ridden first half with heavy challenges the order of the evening.

Ekranas came with the intention of breaking the deadlock early and there was a chink of hope for the Lithuanians seven minutes in when Joe Gamble uncharacteristically surrendered possession to Povilas Luksys and, with the ball fed through Vitalijus Kavaliauskas and finally to Mantas Savenas, the midfielder struck high over McNulty's crossbar.

Cork appeared a side nerved by the occasion, failing to mirror their resplendent league form. Neale Horgan and Danny Murphy toiled constantly up the flanks but their deliveries failed to create an opening.

George O'Callaghan couldn't direct a viciously in-swinging Murphy free-kick in the 10th minute and a minute later the left back swung in a corner that the Ekranas goalkeeper almost punched into his own net.

Cork's lack of passing precision frustrated their hopes of killing off this tie as time and time again the home side found themselves repelled by a tide of blue shirts.

Roy O'Donovan, who was struggling on the right flank, latched onto a Neale Horgan pass, but the winger's snap-shot went wide.

Greg O'Halloran was the most impressive of the City midfielders and created an opening for O'Flynn, but his cross was in vain with no player waiting in the box. O'Halloran took some of the responsibility himself and a fine strike from outside the box flew just over the Ekranas crossbar.

Ekranas' attacking abilities were far from memorable either, but this was more down to the diligent play of Alan Bennett in defence whose subtle and understated tackling though going unnoticed by many proved vital in negating the Ekranas attack.

If there is to be a miss of the season, it came in the 47th minute.

O'Callaghan made a good break up the right, squared for O'Donovan and with Ekranas suffering an over lap, Kearney turned up in the box for the pass but his shot blazed over the bar.

It should have sunk the Baltic side who instead silenced the Cross in the 59th minute. A free kick was awarded 35 yards from goal.

Mantas Savenas curled in a shot that should have been cleared; instead Arunas Klimavicius rose highest to head. It first hit the upright, then crossed the line as McNulty scrambled the ball back over the whitewash.

City began to muster openings, O'Flynn taking advantage of some good work by O'Callaghan but his shot was saved.

An intricate move involving Kearney saw Gamble show lovely footwork five yards from goal. But unable to get a shot in, he set up Horgan but the angle denied him.

O'Flynn rose majestically to a Murphy cross but directed narrowly wide in the 69th minute. Ekranas could have brought the tie into extra time in the 74th minute if Povilas had nudged a shot beyond McNulty, but the Cork keeper blocked bravely.

City lived dangerously in the last ten minutes though Ekranas were far from precise or ruthless with their finishing.

"Tonight was all about getting into the next round. We achieved that through a battling display. It may not have been the prettiest of performances but we got through," added an upbeat Richardson.

CORK CITY: M Mculty; N Horgan, A Bennett, D Murray, D Murphy; R O'Donovan(C O'Brien 88), J Gamble, G O'Halloran, L Kearney (B Woods 92); G O'Callaghan, J O'Flynn.

FK EKRANAS: A Skrupskis; A Skroblas, A Klimavicius, G Paulauskas; D Saulenas (k Mykolaitas), M Gardziyauskas, M Savenas, G Tomkevicius, V Mizigurskis (D Galkevicius 58); V Kavaliauskas, P Luksys.

Referee: G Wildhaber (Switzerland).