Helsingborgs 3 Drogheda United 0:Drogheda can have no complaints as an utterly dominant Helsingborgs enter the draw for the first round proper of the Uefa Cup at lunchtime today, second-half goals from Andreas Jakobsson, Razak Omotoyossi and Olivier Karekezi giving the Swedes a comfortable home win.
Looking nervous from the kick-off, Paul Doolin's side were never allowed into the game.
Within a minute, Dan Connor's sliced clearance from Graham Gartland's back pass went straight to Henrik Larsson, the Drogheda goalkeeper redeeming himself with an agile tip-over of the former Celtic star's shot.
Another attempted clearance by Brian Shelley resulted in a corner, and Jakobsson's header from Andreas Dahl's delivery cannoned off an upright as Drogheda struggled.
And yet Drogheda ought to have taken the lead on eight minutes from what would be their only chance of the match.
Cahill worked a one-two with Simon Webb down the left to get in behind the defence. The cross was on a plate for Eamon Zayed, who contrived to slice completely off target.
Helsingborgs were back at the Drogheda goal within two minutes, Larsson showing sublime touch to put Fredrik Svanback away on the left to cross, but Omotoyossi's header was straight into the grateful arms of Connor.
Shelley had to make a terrific saving tackle to nick the ball off the toe of Olafur Skulason on 43 minutes as the home side's seventh corner of the night wasn't initially cleared.
Gartland almost put Larsson in on goal within a minute of the restart, and Connor had to be alert to race out 25 yards and take the ball off the veteran's toe.
But there was no reprieve as Helsingborgs pressure finally told on 51 minutes. Despite the best efforts of Shelley, Drogheda just couldn't get Dahl's free-kick clear. Skulason threaded the ball through to Jakobsson, who drilled home from 10 yards.
Helsingborgs wrapped up their passage on 68 minutes with a superbly taken goal following a swift counterattack.
Larsson's skill was central to it as he put Omotoyossi into the Drogheda box and the Benin international cut back off the challenge of Shelley and beat Connor at his near post from a tight angle.
Connor saved brilliantly from Karekezi on 89 minutes before the substitute added the third goal a minute into added time.
Larsson's free-kick inside the Drogheda area after Connor picked up Webb's back-pass came off Gartland in the wall and Karekezi drilled home through a crowd area.
HELSINGBORGS IF: D Andersson; Wahsltedt, Jakobssen, Runningberg, Tamboura; C Andersson, Skulason, Dahl (Mariga, 86), Svanback; Larsson, Omotoyossi (Karekezi, 86).
DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor; Shelley, Gavin, Gartland, Webb; Keegan; Robinson (Whelan, 79), Byrne, Keddy (Bates, 54), Cahill; Zayed (O'Keeffe, 73).
Referee: Vitaliy Godulyan (Ukraine).
