SoccerRound-up

Michael Duffy heads Derry City into Europa Conference League third qualifying round

Dundalk draw and Shamrock Rovers lose as both bow out of Europe

Derry’s Michael Duffy scores his team's all important third goal in Finland. Photograph: Matias Honkamaa/Inpho
Derry’s Michael Duffy scores his team's all important third goal in Finland. Photograph: Matias Honkamaa/Inpho
Thu Aug 03 2023 - 20:12

KuPS 3 Derry City 3 (Derry City win 5-4 on aggregate)

Michael Duffy headed Derry City into the third round of European competition for the first time in 17 years after a memorable victory over Finland’s KuPS at the Väre Areena in Kupio.

On his 36th European appearance the winger netted the decisive goal as Ruaidhri Higgins’ side advanced to the Europa Conference League third qualifying round where they’ll travel to Kazakhstan to take on Tobol who dispatched of Swiss giants FC Basel.

Derry got off to a dream start as Cian Kavanagh, hero in the first leg tie, stooped to head the visitors into a 13th minute lead against a team ranked 222 places above them in Uefa’s coefficients.

A headed finish from Finnish international Tuominen 10 minutes later and a deflected Saku Savolainen effort on the stroke of half-time turned the game on its head and brought KuPS level on aggregate.

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However, City twice came from behind in the tie as super sub Sadou Diallo and Duffy netted either side of a lovely team move finished by Savolainen. Duffy’s powerful 69th minute header proved the difference as Derry clinched a remarkable 5-4 aggregate victory which banked another €300,000 for the Brandywell outfit, taking their European pot to a staggering €850,000 so far.

Trailing by the narrowest of margins from that first leg, KuPS had a couple of sighters in the opening 12 minutes with Ghanaian Antwi flashing a 30 yard free-kick harmlessly wide of Maher’s goal. Ben Doherty’s misplaced pass was intercepted and played across the Derry penalty area to Antwi moments later but his low strike went across the face of goal and wide of the mark.

Derry hit KuPS on the counter as Dummigan latched on to the ball in the middle of the park, found the run of McMullan on the right and the Scotsman’s clipped cross towards the back post was met by the unmarked Kavanagh who stooped to head into the net.

It was a dream start for the visitors who opened up a two goal cushion (on aggregate) inside the opening quarter and both Doherty and Duffy tried their luck from distance as Derry looked comfortable. T hat was until the 24th minute when Popovich’s inswinging corner kick was met by the back of Tuominen’s head inside the six yards box as the Finnish international rose above both Boyce and Maher to head home the equaliser.

Derry skipper Patrick McEleney – playing his 47th European fixture – went down clutching his Achilles on the half-hour mark and was replaced by Sadou Diallo – a bitter blow for the Foylesiders. Just before the interval KuPS took the lead after a long ball was nodded down by Yengi and Tuominen played it into the path of Savolainen with a deft touch.

Savolainen took a touch before his strike deflected off Boyce, wrong-footed Maher and found the back of the net to level the tie on aggregate. Derry were dealt another blow when the influential Dummigan was forced off injured on 53 minutes and replaced by Adam O’Reilly.

Two minutes later Derry levelled the match on the night through Diallo to put the League of Ireland men back in the driving seat. Duffy’s pass on the edge of the penalty area was dummied by Patching and Diallo’s left footed strike was blocked by a defender.

It rebounded back to Diallo who hit it with his right foot and it sailed past Johannes Kreidl who was rooted to the spot. KuPS were back in front just three minutes later after a lovely team move which sent Savolainen through one-on-one with Maher and he slotted past the Derry keeper with a composed finish.

It was an extraordinary tie and Derry levelled the match for a second time when Diallo swung in an inviting cross and Duffy ran between two defenders and powered home his header into the corner on 69 minutes. Five additional minutes were added on at the end but KuPS had run out of ideas and Derry held firm to advance to the third round in Europe for just the second time in the club’s history.

Derry City: Maher; Boyce, Connolly, McJannet, Doherty; Dummigan (O’Reilly 53 mins), P McEleney (Diallo 30), Patching; Duffy, C. Kavanagh (Mullen 79), McMullan (S. McEleney 79); Subs Not Used: Ryan, Lemoignan, Coll, B. Kavanagh, McEneff.

KuPS: Kreidl; Saarinen, Cisse, Sichenje, Antwi; Oksanen (Dahlstrom 86 mins), Popovitch (Bispo 70); Tuominen (Lampinen 86), Heinonen, Savolainen (Jervis 70); Yengi; Subs Not Used: Riihimaki, Pitkanen, T. Miettinen, S. Miettinen, Vidjeskog, Hämäläinen.

Referee: Mr Dario Bel (Croatia)

Dundalk 2 KA 2 (KA win 5-3 on aggregate)

It was a case of the same old story for Dundalk as sloppy defending came back to haunt them once again as they bowed out of Europe against Icelandic outfit KA in Oriel Park.

Dundalk's draw with KA Akureyri wasn't enough for them to progress to the third round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan/Inpho
Dundalk's draw with KA Akureyri wasn't enough for them to progress to the third round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan/Inpho

Trailing 3-1 from last week’s first leg in Reykjavik when Hallgriumur Jonasson’s side scored with all three shots on target, the Lilywhites found themselves chasing a three-goal deficit when Jóan Edmundsson scored with the visitors’ first attempt on 14 minutes.

While John Martin gave Stephen O’Donnell’s side some hope with a brilliant 33rd minute header, the Lilywhites lacked creativity and threat with Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson’s penalty eight minutes from time ending their slim hopes of a late revival.

Substitute Greg Sloggett did head home an equaliser a minute from time to at least see them avoid defeat on the night but it is KA – who scored with five of their six shots on target across both legs – who march on to face Club Brugge next week.

Needing at least two goals to get back into the tie, the home side threatened for the first time on 13 minutes with Patrick Hoban unable to direct Daniel Kelly’s cross from the right on target.

From the resulting kick-out from Kristijan Jajalo they would fall behind. The goal kick was flicked on by Ásgeir Siguregeirsson, who got there ahead of Louie Annesley, with Faroe Islands international Edmundsson racing through to slot past Nathan Shepperd for his first goal for KA.

Dundalk struggled to create chances in the period after but gave themselves a lifeline on 33 minutes when Martin pulled a goal back with a bullet header at the near post from Ryan O’Kane’s left wing cross.

Connor Malley then had an effort from long range pushed away by Jajalo a minute before the break but despite bossing possession in the second half they were lucky not to fall further behind on 66 minutes when Jakob Snaer Árnason struck the crossbar.

Martin did go close to setting up a grandstand finish on 75 minutes when he hit the bar from Hoban’s knock-down but the game was ended as a contest eight minutes from the end when Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson sent Shepperd the wrong way from the spot after a clumsy challenge by Malley on Ívar Örn Árnason.

Dundalk at least avoided defeat on the night when substitute Sloggett headed home his first goal in a year with a header from O’Kane’s corner a minute from time but it was a case of too little, too late for the home side.

Dundalk: Shepperd; Davies, Boyle (Brownlie 84 mins), Annesley, Leahy (Yli-Kokko 71); Kelly (Elliott 84), Doyle, Malley (Sloggett 84), O’Kane; Hoban, Martin.

KA Akureyri: Jajalo; Hrannar Björn Steingrímsson (Elísson 90 mins), Brkovic, Ívar Örn Árnason, Baldvinsson; Hafsteinsson (Stefánsson 90), Rodri, Hauksson; Edmundsson (Jakob Snaer Árnason 60), Sigurgeirsson (Petersen 84), Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson.

Referee: Walter Altmann (Austria).

Shamrock Rovers 0 Ferencváros 2 (Ferencváros win 6-0 on aggregate)

Unlike last year, there was to be no morale boosting home win, following a 4-0 first leg defeat against the same opposition, as Shamrock Rovers duly bowed out of Europe.

A first half goal from Kristoffer Zachariassen and another at the death from Samy Mmaee gave Ferencváros a deserved victory on the night before a somewhat muted crowd of 3,737 – just over half the figure at Tallaght Stadium for last month’s defeat to Breiðablik in the Champions League first round.

The Hungarian champions thus progress to meet Maltese side Hamrun Spartans in the third round after the latter prevailed over Georgians Dinamo Tbilisi.

Bowing out so early in Europe comes at a cost for Rovers. While they do bank €810,000 in Uefa prize money, it’s less than a quarter of what their run to the Conference League group stages brought in last season.

With five changes from last week’s rout in Budapest, giving European debuts to midfielders Kieran Cruise (19) and Conan Noonan (20) Rovers started positively, and were given a glorious chance inside two minutes.

Markus Poom’s diagonal found Sean Gannon on the right who availed of a slip by Cristian Ramirez to get a run on goal. Coming in from a tight angle, Gannon pulled the ball back for Johnny Kenny who just couldn’t get any venom in the shot which was blocked by Mmaee.

Starting eight full internationals from six different countries, Ferencváros were quickly in on goal at the other end, but Mali winger Adama Traore was flagged offside before bringing a good save with his feet from Leon Pohls. Pohls was there again on nine minutes to parry away an angled effort from Traore once again.

But Rovers were working Denes Dibusz just as hard at the opposite end. The Ferencváros keeper first parried away a snapshot from Kenny with Gannon blasting the rebound off the crossbar as the visitors’ goal somehow survived. Dibusz then showed his agility with a terrific tip over save from a Kenny header from Graham Burke’s precise delivery.

Rovers’ positive start counted for nothing, though, as they conceded a poor goal on the half-hour. Collecting a loose pass, Traore broke on the right to thread the ball through for Barnabas Varga.

There was no flag as Rovers appealed for an offside. Varga’s delicate touch found Norwegian Zachariassen whose shot took a nick off Hoops’ skipper Roberto Lopes to deflect past Pohls.

Save for Kenny having a shot deflected out for a corner early on, the second half didn’t catch fire until late on.

Rovers brought on Daylan Watts for the start of the second half while Aaron Greene, Liam Burt and 16-year-old Naj Razi were introduced on the hour in an attempt to liven up the Hoops’ attack.

But it was Ferencváros’ Ghanaian sub Kwabwena Owusu who came close to doubling his side’s lead. Set up by Brazilian Marquinhos, Owusu’s powerful drive took a slight deflection to rattle the crossbar on its way out for a corner. Ferencváros did add a second goal right on 90 minutes. Rovers failed to clear a corner leaving Mmaee to calmly sidefoot to the net from the edge of the area

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Hoare (Finn 71 mins); Gannon, Noonan (Burt 62), Poom, O’Neill (Watts h-t), Cruise; Kenny (Greene 62), Burke (Razi 62).

Ferencváros: Dibusz; Makreckis, Cisse (Knoester 66), Mmaee, Ramirez (Paszka h-t); Siger (Esiti h-t), Ben Romdhane; Traore (Owusu h-t), Zachariassen, Marquinhos; Varga (Lisztes 66).

Referee: Tomasz Musiał (Poland).