O’Neill’s men park bus to keep dream alive

SHAMROCK ROVERS came into last night’s Champions League qualifier knowing they were facing formidable opposition in Copenhagen, a team studded with full internationals and players with knockout stage experience of Europe’s biggest competition.

The League of Ireland champions emerged from the game with much credit, putting in a determined performance but they still face the difficult task of overcoming last night’s 1-0 defeat when Copenhagen visit Tallaght next Tuesday.

Rovers manager Michael O’Neill had made it clear that his objective for the first leg in the Parken Stadium was to contain the Danish champions and keep the tie alive. That is what his team managed to do with his team effectively deploying a 4-1-4-1 system to stifle the attacking threat of Copenhagen.