Cork City young guns set up Roma clash

Cork City 1 HJK Helsinki 0 (City win 1-0 on agg): Aaron Drinan’s penalty, two minutes into the second half, created history at Turner’s Cross as Cork City became the first ever League of Ireland side into the playoff stages of the Uefa Youth League after their 1-0 second-leg win against HJK Helsinki last night.

Ecstatic scenes at full-time on Leeside after a frantic ending that saw David Coffey save Aapo Halme’s effort in the dying moments, to the 1,287 strong crowd’s relief, as the Rebel Army held on to face Italian giants AS Roma in the next round.

Daire O’Riordan went close in the first half, but the former Lakewood midfielder couldn’t finish from 20 yards out.

O’Riordan was then extremely unlucky to see his volley deflected off the top of the crossbar just before the break.

The Leesiders finally broke through in the second half however, another Taylor cross deflected into Henrik Ölander’s hand, Drinan dispatching the penalty into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Cork City:

D Coffey; P Phillips, C McCarthy, A O’Sullivan, K Taylor; D Fernandez, A Byrne, C Coleman, D O’Riordan (P Crowley 86 (C Leonard 90+1)), C Ogbene; A Drinan (J O’Regan 83).

Referee:

P Reinert (FRO).