Frustration at ref as Shels bow out of Women's Champions League
AMERICAN DREAM: Shels' recent signing Heather O'Reilly.
A goal apiece straight before and after half-time by Icelandic outfit Valur shredded Shelbourne’s Champions League dream tonight.
Ireland’s title-holders set up the mini-group decider by beating Slovenian hosts ZNK Pomurje on Thursday but an inability to convert early chances, the ruthlessness of their opponents and a fussy Belarussian referee combined to usher their exit.
Cyera Hintzen pounced on 20 minutes to fire in the breakthrough, Solveig Larsen Johannesdottir drifted in from the left to make it 2-0 before Elisa Vidarsdottir added the third seconds after the restart through a fortunate deflection off Leah Doyle.
Skipper Vidarsdottir was one of three Valur players part of the Iceland squad that drew their three group games against Belgium, Italy and France at last month’s Euros.
It was evident from early on that ref Volha Tsiareshka was intent on playing a central part in proceedings but her discipline was disproportionately weighted against the Irish, for all six yellow cards were dished out to the Reds.
The last two were brandished for dissent to goalkeeper Amanda Budden, the second in the centre-circle at the final whistle.
First-choice national goalkeeper Sandra Sigurdardóttir was among the other pair of Euro participants in the Reykjavik outfit’s ranks but she almost presented Shels with a gift after just eight minutes by collecting a backpass.
The resultant indirect free-kick inside the box at the endline offered an opportunity but Shels were unable to capitalise as Shauna Fox’s attempt skewed horribly wayward, almost going out for a throw-in on the far side.
Valur – who defeated FC Hayasa from Armenia 2-0 in their semi – had to absorb early pressure before finally threatening themselves, with claims for a penalty rejected when Thordis Sigfúsdóttir clashed with Budden in the box.
A corner was instead awarded and, from Ásdís Halldórsdóttir's delivery, Hintzen headed off the crossbar but followed up to sweep the rebound home from eight yards.
Noelle Murray scampered clear on the half hour to get a sight on goal, only for another of their Icelandic internationals, Arna Sif Ásgrímsdóttir, to snuff out the danger with a perfectly timed tackle.
Valur wouldn’t be denied their second from a similar angle on the stroke of half-time, as Sólveig Jóhannesdóttir Larsen drove past two defenders from the left and carried enough power in her shot to beat Budden with her right-footed effort.
It would take a second-half rescue mission for Shels to get back into the tie and that was put beyond them within a minute. Vidarsdottir cut in from the right to wrongfoot Budden with a shot that took a wicked deflection off Doyle.
King soon withdrew his veterans, Murray and Thursday’s matchwinner Heather O’Reilly, for fresh legs and the introduction of Ireland striker Abbie Larkin injected a spark up front.
Jemma Quinn should have pulled one back after she got in behind the Valur defence, yet she was unable to keep her low shot on target despite beating Sigurdardóttir.
Sigurdardóttir’s solidity in goal, underlined by thwarting Jesse Stapleton’s rifled shot late on, was another factor in the Shels shutout but it all got too much for Budden at the death.
The Corkwoman will be missing for the first game of next season’s campaign should the Reds retain their domestic crown but a second-placed finish from four qualifiers is at least an improvement for Ireland’s representatives in Europe’s sole female club competition.
A Budden; J Stapleton, P Slattery, S Fox, K Keenan (T White Maguire 79); E Starr, R Graham (A Kavanagh 71), L Doyle; H O’Reilly (A Kelly 56), N Murray (A Larkin 56), J Quinn (I Glennon 71).
S Sigurðardóttir; E Vidarsdóttir, M Edvardsdóttir, AS Ásgrímsdóttir, A Rakel Pétursdóttir; Á Baldursdóttir (Þ Ágústsdóttir 69), Á Halldórsdóttir (M Speckmaier 64), L Pedersen; S Larsen (B Entz 75), C Hintzen (S Guðmundsdóttir 75), T Sigfúsdóttir (E Jensen 64).
Volha Tsiareshka (BLR)
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