Sport

Fenn gives Cork just a glimmer of hope

Intertoto Cup, quarter-final, first-leg Eight-times French champions FC Nantes scored an emphatic win over Cork City in their…

Mon Jul 19 2004 - 01:00

Intertoto Cup, quarter-final, first-leg Eight-times French champions FC Nantes scored an emphatic win over Cork City in their Intertoto Cup quarter-final, first-leg tie at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes last night.FC Nantes 3 Cork City 1

The French side, who last won their domestic championship in 2001, were a step up in class for Cork who had knocked out FC Malmo and NEC Nijmegen in previous rounds.

The home side were a goal up inside 12 minutes, two goals up midway through the opening half and three goals up after 66 minutes before Cork's Neale Fenn scored a valuable away goal for Pat Dolan's side to keep the second leg alive at Turner's Cross next Saturday night (7.30 p.m.).

Nantes had an early scare when Fenn's volley was finger-tipped away by goalkeeper Willie Grondin after just six minutes before the home side showed their counter-attacking capabilities to open up the visitors' defence as Olivier Quint slid home a cross from man of the match Capoue, a new signing who was making his debut last evening.

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Nantes made it 2-0 after 22 minutes when Jeremy Toulalan's defence-splitting pass fed Hassan Ahamada and he took the ball around goalkeeper Michael Devine before shooting home.

Ahamada should have made it 3-0 just before half-time when Capoue supplied the cross but while the centre forward's header beat Devine it drifted just wide of the far post.

Nantes were in again after 43 minutes when Emerse Fae cut in off the touchline past Danny Murphy but his shot was saved by Devine.

Nantes dropped the tempo in the second half and while Quint and Fae were close to more goals it fell to 29-year-old striker Frederic Da Rocha to make it 3-0 after 66 minutes.

Da Rocha brought the home crowd in an attendance of 11,056 to their feet when Capoue clipped the ball forward for him to stab it home.

Fenn's away goal coming 11 minutes from time gives Cork a glimmer of hope for the return in Cork on Saturday night and City fans in another expected sell-out crowd of over 8,000 certainly have a treat in store when "Les Canaris" come to town.

FC NANTES: Grondin; Drouin, Savinaud, Guillon; Capoue, Quint, Pailleres, Toulalan, Fae (Leray, 55 mins); Da Rocha (capt), Ahamada (Glombard, 68).

CORK CITY: Devine; Lordan, Bennett, Murray (capt), Murphy; Doyle, O'Brien, O'Callaghan, Kearney; Fenn, O'Flynn.

Referee: J F L-Ferrera (Portugal).