Remarkable first-half meltdown ends Rovers' Europa League bid
Shamrock Rovers' Manager Stephen Bradley in Albania. Pic: INPHO
Shamrock Rovers were unceremoniously dumped out of the Europa League after a remarkable first-half meltdown in Albania where they shipped four quick-fire goals and saw their aggregate lead evaporate in the blink of an eye.
This run in Europe has been characterised by missed opportunities, notably their Champions League suckerpunch defeat to Ararat-Armenia. Then last week in Tallaght, after dropping into this competition, the Hoops squandered opportunities to put Egnatia to the sword and win by a more handsome margin.
Still, they appeared to be well placed at 3-1 heading for the stifling heat of Rrogozhine, knowing an aggregate win would secure a place in the league phase of the Conference League, with a Europa League playoff against Lillestrom of Norway to come.
But within 11 minutes, Stephen Bradley’s men were 2-0 down and freewheeling towards a world of pain.
Before the first-leg, the Shamrock Rovers manager felt Egnatia would be the strongest side his team had faced in Europe this season. So it’s no wonder there was collective surprise at how passive the Albanians had been in Dublin.
But there was no mistaking their hunger and desire here as they destroyed the League of Ireland champions in a brutal first-half takedown. Rovers’ pre-match talk of attack being the best form of defence never got off the ground and now they face KuPS of Finland in a Conference League playoff.
Egnatia scored so early and often, Rovers didn’t know what hit them. The concession of soft goals has been a recurring theme on their European travels over the years, but the speed at which they unravelled here was quite something.
Egnatia, still a week out from their first league game, were ahead after four minutes when Ildi Gruda squared for Daniel Adjessa to steer home first-time in a crowded box.
It was the early foothold the hosts needed and they almost doubled the lead four minutes later. Egnatia broke quickly off a Rovers corner and Gruda was one-on-one with Ed McGinty, only for the Rovers goalkeeper to make a fine smothering save.
But the pressure was relentless and Egnatia got the second goal their tenacious approach deserved. Again, the Albanians targeted the Hoops left side. Medeiros raided and crossed for Alessandro Albanese who side-footed a volley home.
For both goals, Rovers had bodies in the box but those defenders struggled all night to deal with second balls.
Egnatia were 3-0 up by the 20th minute. Gruda latched onto a long punt forward and immediately put Pico Lopes under pressure as last defender. The World Cup star stooped to head a ball back to McGinty but Gruda got a touch just as McGinty came to gather. The ball squirmed loose and the attacker turned it home.
Rovers were shell-shocked and the misery didn’t stop there as Egnatia scored a fourth seven minutes before half-time. Medeiros crossed again and although Adjessa clashed in the air with Enda Stevens, he reacted quickly to hook the second ball past McGinty.
Rovers had offered nothing going forward and the only respite that came their way was the dismissal of Edison Ndreca on a second booking in first-half injury-time.
But with Albanese running the show, the numerical advantage counted for little and he scored his second - and Egnatia’s fifth - in the 58th minute, clipping a lovely ball over the advancing McGinty.
Graham Burke scored a consolation with 17 minutes remaining, after tucking home when Danny Mandroiu crashed a shot off the crossbar, but the clock was always against the Hoops as they tried to reel in the aggregate deficit.
: Dajsinani; Sota, Bitri, Aleksi; Jaime (Smajli 80), Loukili (Kryezie 65), Medeiros (Ajetovikj 85), Albanese, Ndreca; Daniel (Montenegro 65), Gruda (Aliyev 45).
McGinty; Sobowale (Grace 45), Lopes, Stevens (Mandroiu 70); Mulraney (Asamoah 64), Watts, Healy, Fitzgerald; Byrne, Burke; Greene (Afolabi 45).
: G Kabakov (Bulgaria)
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