Champions League journey back on track for Shamrock Rovers after five-star show

Shamrock Rovers’ John McGovern celebrates scoring his side's third goal with Adam Brennan. Pic: George Dawson/Inpho

Shamrock Rovers 5 (Lee Grace 7, John McGovern 29, 48, Graham Burke 61, Jack Byrne 72 Floriana 1 (Tomislav Gudelj 13 (Shamrock Rovers win 5-3 on aggregate)

Records shattered and relief abounded as Shamrock Rovers completed a turnaround in style to sustain their Conference League campaign into next week’s second round.

This was the first since Rovers entered Europe in 1957 against Manchester United’s Busby Babes that they racked up five goals in a single leg.

Not since 2020 had the Hoops come from a two-goal deficit in any Cup match to prevail and neither had any League of Ireland recovered from that first leg deficit to progress in a European tie.

On top of all that groundbreaking was Graham Burke extending his record haul of European goals to 15 with a goal to finally tilt the tie in Rovers’ favour on the hour.

All looked gloomy on their Champions League return last Tuesday when travelling back from Malta two goals in arrears and without the red-carded Matt Healy for the second leg. 

Roberto 'Pico' Lopes of Shamrock Rovers. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

However, spearheaded by Pico Lopes in defence after his World Cup heroics, a night of redemption at Tallaght ensued.

Although the League of Ireland champions had the parachute of a Conference League tie in the event of elimination, by overhauling the tie, guaranteed prize-money almost doubled from €960,000 to €1.7m and a Europa League meeting with FC Ararat-Armenia awaits in Yerevan next Tuesday.

That’s one of three additional ties cemented by their success, the final one being a playoff for another ticket to the Conference League phase in the Autumn.

Lee Grace’s seventh-minute foundation goal was subdued by Tomislav Gudelj restoring the two-goal cushion for Floriana six minutes later.

Chasms in class between the team was evident from the early skirmishes. Once Rovers shored up gaps that offered the limited visitors a few breakaways, they possessed the quality to complete their mission.

Simon Grayson, advisor to the board at Cork City, in attendance at Shamrock Rovers against Floriana. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

John McGovern led the charge after Dylan Watts reduced the arrears before half-time. 

Recent Ireland debutant Adam Brennan teed up Watts, ghosting into the box with a dinked cross on 29 minutes that he headed home off the underside of the crossbar. McGovern then finished Jake Mulraney’s centre two minutes after the restart.

All the momentum was with the Hoops and they eventually made the pressure on the goal of Brazilian goalkeeper Guilherme Cioletti count with two goals from their former Ireland internationals.

A trademark dribble from Burke, dropping his shoulder and shrugging off two defenders, enabled him to poke the ball into the far corner but the best was left to Jack Byrne.

With 18 minutes left, the player who this time last year seemed on his way out of the club steadied himself 25 yards out to unleash a curler into the top corner, leaving the Maltese yearning for the whistle and a homeward-bound flight.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: E McGinty; L Grace, P Lopes, C O’Sullivan; J Mulraney (T Sobowale 65), D Watts (N Razi 78), J O’Sullivan (J Afolabi 77(, A Brennan; J Byrne, G Burke (C Malley 77); J McGovern (M Noonan 78).

FLORIANA: G Cioletti; C Lonardelli, Kauan, O Spiteri, M Beerman; A Kurtalic, G Romano (D Vella 67); R Muric (K Dervisagic 51), F Varela; T Gudelj, M Jan.

Referee: Joakim Östling (SWE).

Att: 5,466.