Ajax loom for Shelbourne after first Conference League mission completed

Douglas James-Taylor scores from the penalty spot to give Shelbourne their first goal in Parnu. Pic: Evaldas Semiotas/Sportsfile

UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, second leg: Nõmme Kalju 2 (Enrique Esono 49, Ibrahim Jabir 75) Shelbourne 1 (Daniel Kelly 17) Shelbourne win 6-4 on aggregate.

Shelbourne are through to face Ajax into the Uefa Conference League next week despite losing their second leg in Estonia.

John Russell’s Reds did the legwork in last week’s first leg at Tolka Park by racking up a 5-2 lead over Nõmme Kalju.

They extended that buffer to four goals by taking the lead at Pärnu Rannastaadion through Daniel Kelly on 14 minutes and seemed to be cruising when Ukrainian Oleksandr Musolitin was sent off on the half hour for a late challenge on Evan Caffrey.

However, the hosts staged a belated second-half comeback, Enrique Esono adding to last week’s brace by equalising on the night within four minutes of the restart following a litany of defensive lapses.

Substitute Ibrahim Jabir pounced to make it 2-1 with a header, setting up a nervy last 15 minutes for the 2024 League of Ireland champions.

Yet, they held firm, coughing up only one chance in stoppage time that Nikita Ivanov struck the crossbar with.

Shels head to Waterford for Sunday’s league match next before the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on Thursday. Ajax are not expected to allow a three-goal first-leg cushion slip when they welcome Vojvodina Novi Sad to the stadium tonight.

In other Irish soccer news, the FAI have released a statement saying they stand with Uefa in their decision to reject FIFA's proposition regarding transfer of ownership to private investors.

"The Football Association of Ireland supports UEFA along with all member associations in rejecting FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the FIFA World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.

The Association believes that decisions of this significance must be founded on strong governance, transparency and meaningful consultation. In solidarity with UEFA’s position, Ireland's national teams will not participate in FIFA competitions while these proposals remain under consideration."