Derry City 0 Trabzonspor 3 (Trabzonspor win 7-2 on aggregate)
A thoroughly professional performance by Turkish giants, Trabzonspor, saw them end the Airtricity League's involvement in Europe, Derry City's gallant display wilting in the second half.
And while it was a deserved victory for the Turks, the end score line was harsh on the Candystripes who battled manfully over both legs.
In fact, having kept the tie alive for the home leg, which attracted a seated attendance of 3,000 to the Brandywell, conceding three goals at home will compound Derry’s woes. Trabzonspor, therefore, will now travel to Belarus next week to face Dinamo Minsk in the first round proper and they will be fancied to progress further in this competition.
But back to this game and Derry boss, Declan Devine, will have been delighted with the blank scoresheet at the break, his 4-5-1 tactics working well.
Indeed, it could have been so different had Simon Madden not cleared the ball off his goal-line minutes before the break, the lively Volkan Sen directing a goal-bound shot as the Derry defence had waited for an offside whistle.
But the home side could also have scored with their only clear-cut scoring chance of the opening period.
On the half hour, Patrick McEleney back-heeled the ball into the path of Eoghan Osborne and his teasing cross from the left was met by the Ruaidhri Higgins whose header was parried before being gathered by visiting keeper, Onur Kivrak.
Trabzonspor’s left winger, Olcan Adin also forced Derry’s Ger Doherty into a save following a deft flick with the outside of his foot in the 33rd minute as the Candystripes continued to battle.
After the break Higgins went close again when his header following a Paddy Kavanagh corner was touched over the bar by Kivrak in the 54th minute.
But one minute later, Derry’s dream had evaporated when Trabzonspor broke the deadlock with a very soft goal. Not for the first time in this tie, it was a Derry City error which fashioned the opening strike.
Patrick McEleney appeared to play a stray pass when attempting to clear the ball and the alert Brazilian, Paulo Henrique, was on hand to dribble his way through and poke the ball beyond the reach of Doherty from close range.
That goal effectively ended this tie as a contest, the Turkish side now leading 5-2 on aggregate and Derry heads clearly began to drop. But the home continued to battle with Higgins again going close with a free-kick in the 77th minute, his curling effort inches wide of the target.
Barry McNamee also had a shot blocked on the Trabzonspor goal-line in the 80th minute but the stylish Turks were devastating on the break one minute later when adding a second goal. Speedy right winger, Sen, burst clear with his electrifying pace and his superb centre was controlled by the advancing Henrique who gave Doherty no chance with a magnificent finish for his second goal of the night and his third against Derry.
With the tie completed, Derry conceded another goal in the 90th minute, the Turks pouring forward again and when the ball was laid back into the path of substitute, Abdulkadir Ozdemir, he gleefully lashed it home from 18 yards.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; Madden, Greacen, S McEleney, Osborne; Kavanagh (Duffy, 72 mins), Higgins, Molloy, McBride (Houston, 79 mins), P McEleney (McNamee, 63 mins); McDaid.
TRABZONSPOR: Kivrak; Yavru, Kacar (Demir, half-time ), Yumlu, Celuska; Akgun, Colman (Ozdemir, half-time); Sen, Mierzejewski (Aydogdu, 82 mins), Adin; Henrique.
Referee:Michael Lerjeus (Sweden).
