Shamrock Rovers salvage draw in Conference League phase opener
EQUALISER: Rovers’ Dylan Watts celebrates scoring his side’s first goal of the game
A point and an extra €133,000 added to their €4m of prize-money was the accrual from Dylan Watts salvaging a late draw in their Conference League phase opener.
Before a crowd of 7,111, they were trailing heading into stoppage time with 10 men when two substitutes combined, Jack Byrne’s corner telegraphed for Dylan Watts to steer his header high into the net.
"These are special nights and ones you remember when you retire," said Dylan Watts afterwards.
Late scenes in Tallaght! 😱
— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) October 3, 2024
Ten-man @ShamrockRovers equalise in added-time as Dylan Watts heads in ☘️ pic.twitter.com/h57bndmuoi
With winnable games ahead against teams from Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina before they conclude at Chelsea on December 19, it would be foolish to write off their chances of getting to within a playoff of the last-16.
APOEL arrived at Tallaght with European pedigree, having been part of the Champions League group phase only six years ago. Their most recent strides were in the 2020 Europa League, losing to Basel at the last-32 stage.
Seven leagues in row solidified their status as the most successful club in Cyprus but they’ve burned through eight managers since that peak in 2019, including Mick McCarthy’s ill-fated eight-match tenancy.
It took five years for their crown to be reinstated and with that comes greater expectation to drill deep on the European stage. Maybe that imperative has framed their risk-averse strategy, for eight of their starters at Tallaght were aged 31 or olders.
Operating as their focal point up top was the elder statesman Youssef El-Arabi. He turns 38 in February and, in the season APOEL made it to the playoffs of the Europa, his winner for Olympiacos knocked Arsenal out of the same competition at the same stage.
The Moroccan was one of eight internationals, with a collective cap tally exceeding 200, to line out but he was rarely serviced up until the pivotal moment of Neil Farrugia’s sending off.
Resolute structure across the Hoops backline limited the Cypriots to potshots from distance, with Marquinhos the hastiest when smashing his 15th minute effort well wide.
Although possession was dominated, scant cutting edge was offered. Only when Leon Pohls scarpered from his area to chest away his clearance did a sight on goal emerge. From that, Marquinhos was unable to keep his 25-yard overhead kick on target.
In Johnny Kenny, Rovers carried a striker capable of stretching an ageing defence and he might have done better with a shot midway through the first half that hooked over the crossbar.
Former Tottenham winger José Dominguez was an animated presence in the APOEL technical area, imploring his side to spray the ball wide in order to attack the Rovers wing-backs.
That tactic did lead to a booking for Farrugia that would later return to haunt, an impetuous reaction when given the slip by former Barcelona wing-back Xavi Quintillà.
It came three minutes before the break and, within five minutes of the restart, he was off.
Skinned by Marquinhos near the left touchline, Farrugia ought to have known better than to tug him back as he left him in his wake. Referee Jérémie Pignard issued the inevitable second yellow card, forcing a reshuffle by Stephen Bradley.
Space was soon created by the numerical imbalance. Spaniard Sergio Tejera worked himself into a position to get a shot, an effort deflected out for a corner by a brave Dan Cleary’s headed intervention.
Then Rovers began to look shaky from crosses and rued not minding Konstantinos Laifis. On 57 minutes, he was left alone at a corner, only denied by a brilliant Pohls save. However from the resulting second corner, Tejera’s delivery hung in the air for Laifis to plant his back-post header home.
Kenny had conjured the first attempt on target early in the second half and was entitled to hit the floor under a challenge of Laifis with 16 minutes left. Instead, he remained on his feet and his shot from an acute angle was dealt with by Vid Belec.
Lively Brazilian Marquinhos spurned a golden chance to kill it when rolling his low effort wide of the far post and it would catch up with them.
José Dominguez rued missed chances by the visitors, bemoaning their wastefulness. “Our players are devastated because we had the match under control. I knew that Shamrock Rovers would not give up, chasing second balls and they scored in the last phase. It’s sad that it happens this way but this is football.”
: L Pohls; D Cleary, R Lopes, L Grace; N Farrugia, G O’Neill (R Towell 65), M Poom (C O’Sullivan 53), J Honohan; D Nugent (J Byrne 77), D Mandroiu (D Watts 7); J Kenny (A Greene 77).
: V Belec; M Susic (I Cheabake 72), R Petrovic, K Laifis (L Dvali 88), Z Quintilla; D Abagna (P Kattirtzis 61), G Kostadinov; D Ndongala (M Corbu 89), S Tejera, Marquinhos; Y El-Arabi (A Bah 72).
: Jérémie Pignard (FRA).
7,111.
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