Shamrock Rovers Champions League fightback falls short against Ludogorets
FIGHTBACK: Richie Towell, right, and Graham Burke of Shamrock Rovers after the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 Second Qualifying Round Second Leg match between Shamrock Rovers and Ludogorets at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Maybe it’s just as well that killer third goal in Bulgaria last week didn’t prove decisive for Shamrock Rovers.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, a brave fightback through goals Aaron Greene and Aidomo Emakhu set up a grandstand finish for the final minutes but a piece of samba magic from Brazilian Cauly Souza confirmed the parachute journey for the Irish champions into next week’s Europa League third round against Shkupi from North Macedonia.
A tempestuous encounter – which saw Ludogorets play the final 40 minutes with 10 men – ended in the sight of Ludogorets players goading the home support and without handshakes between the managers.
Rovers had hardly missed their injured stars Pico Lopes and Jack Byrne in a first-half they dominated.
With nothing to lose, in front of another 6,000-plus crowd, the back-to-back champions were assertive from the off, a different animal to last week’s tame display.
Graham Burke, into the team for Rory Gaffney, led the way, almost springing the offside trap within three minutes. Sergio Padt’s dash to the edge of his box to clear marked the start of a busy night for the goalkeeper.
He was more mentally than physically extended on seven when Ronan Finn squared a low delivery across his six-yard box. Richie Towell had anticipated the delivery to the back post, only to somehow allow the ball roll under his foot.
It was the sort of danger Rovers hadn’t posed seven days earlier. And the significance of small margins at this ultimate level nearly screamed in their faces again after Ludogorets got a sight of goal. A needless concession of a corner by Sean Hoare triggered three in a row and from the last, captain Anton Nedyalkov rose unmarked at the near post to plant a header which Alan Mannus pushed away.
Another teasing cross inviting a touch came and went at the opposite end but the pressure Rovers accumulated brought its reward on 21 minutes.
Blackpool target Andy Lyons kickstarted the move by advancing from left wing-back to ping in a cross that found Burke unattended. Although his header was brilliantly stopped by the outstretched hand of Padt, Greene followed up to smash the rebound to the roof of the net.
Tallaght was rocking and, with three-quarters of the game left, they had reason to believe the comeback would gain traction.
Burke’s attempt at beating Padt at his near post with an audacious free-kick highlighted the verve with which Rovers were playing. They should have had more reward for their risk when Towell seized upon an errand clearance on 35 minutes. His low drive whistled past the post with the Dutch stopper beaten.
Rovers were still losing the tie but it helped that their visitors were losing their heads. Braga are willing to pay €2m for Bernard Tekpetey but the winger was fortunate not to see red approaching the break when he concluded his mazy run by lunging into Gary O’Neill. Rather wisely, he didn’t appear for the second half.
That was one of two interval changes but it didn’t alter the abundance of needle in the game, for Ludogorets lost a player within six minutes. Manuel Cafumana, otherwise known as Show, lived up to his name by having a red card fluttered his way. O’Neill was again the victim of physical force, incurring a second booking for the Angolan international who had to be escorted off the pitch to halt his time-wasting.
Bradley went for it by introducing an attack-minded treble substation, including Gaffney, for the final 20 minutes.
Emakhu soon joined them and he displayed nifty footwork inside the box to make space and blast a left-footer beyond Padt.
Cauly would have the final say, drifting wide to the right and angling a rising shot beyond the grasp of Mannus. It was still a win on the night for Rovers, a springboard for their consolation prize at home next Thursday.
A Mannus; S Gannon, S Hoare, L Grace; R Finn (N Farrugia 71), G O’Neill (D Watts 71), C McCann (J Ferizaj 83), A Lyons; R Towell (A Emakhu 78), G Burke; A Greene (R Gaffney 71).
S Padt; Z Karnicnik, O Verdon, I Plaston, A Nedyalkov; Cauly, A Santana, M Cafumana; B Tekpetey (Rick 46), Pieros Sotiriou (I Rodrigues 86), K Despodov (S Delev 46).
Fabio Maresca (ITA).
6,322.
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