Partizan Belgrade 1 Shamrock Rovers 2 (AET: Rovers win 3-2 on aggregate):STEPHEN O'DONNELL scored a penalty in a million as Shamrock Rovers made a historic European breakthrough for Irish domestic football in the cauldron of Belgrade last night.
Pat Sullivan was another hero among a team of stalwarts, scoring a stunning equaliser on the night, as Rovers stood tall in the 32 degree heat and raucous atmosphere of the Partizan Stadion.
Michael O’Neill’s side have thus created history by becoming the first Irish side to make the group stages of a European competition and go into today’s Europa League draw with financial rewards in excess of €1 million now on offer.
Rovers lined up as expected, the only change saw Chris Turner replacing the injured Conor McCormack. Aleksandar Stanojevic, the Partizan boss, made three switches from the side that started in Tallaght.
Radisa Ilic came into goal, regular left-back Vladimir Volkov returned as did attacking playmaker Zvonimir Jukic.
The home crowd certainly lived up to their club’s name, their ultras loudly booing Rovers as they came out for their warm-up some 45 minutes before kick off.
The game started promisingly with Rovers getting the first sniff of goal inside the opening minute when Ronan Finn had a shot blocked away by Nemanja Rnic.
Roared on by their fans, whose incessant chanting never let up, it wasn’t long before Partizan threatened as Rovers looked nervous at the back in the opening minutes.
First a Craig Sives stray pass put skipper Dan Murray in trouble and he had to haul down Eduardo. Luckily Nemanja Tomic, their goalscorer in Dublin, fired his free-kick into the defensive wall.
Another howler in the third minute saw goalkeeper Ryan Thompson’s attempted clearance kick go straight to Vladimir Jovancic. Jovancic, in one-on-one, dinked his effort wide to save Thompson’s blushes.
Rovers were getting forward well when they could and Finn again worried the home defence on 17 minutes, first winning the ball and then cutting in from the left to fire in a low drive which Ilic parried away at the butt of his right-hand post.
While Thompson’s distribution may be suspect his shot-stopping is superb and he demonstrated that on 28 minutes with the save of the first half to keep out Volkov‘s header at full stretch from a deflected cross by Tomic.
It mattered not however, as Partizan got their deserved lead on the night on 35 minutes when impressive left-back Volkov beat Thompson with a back post header from a Tomic corner.
Rovers switched to a 4-4-2 for the second half with Karl Sheppard coming in for Billy Dennehy.
The crowd were almost silenced two minutes in when Turner’s header from an Enda Stevens cross shaved the outside of a post.
But Rovers were level on 58 minutes when Sullivan unleashed a stunning 25-yard volley after a clearance form a corner dropped to him.
If that was sublime, some brilliant defending at the other end on 69 minutes prevented Partizan regaining the league.
Volkov put Stefan Babovic in on goal, but O’Donnell, in his first act having just come on as a substitute, made a terrific block tackle to prevent what looked a certain goal.
O’Donnell was there again two minutes from time to make another goal-saving tackle on substitute Lazar Markovic after Partizan again carved Rovers open.
The woodwork then came to Rovers’ rescue in the second minute of extra-time when a curling free-kick from Babovic came back of Thompson’s left -hand post.
Thompson was in the right place again at his opposite post right on 100 minutes to thwart Volkov.
Another let-off came on 109 minutes. Babovic got to the end line to cross, Sives completely missed his kick to set up Jovancic whose feeble shot was straight at Thompson.
The tie, and the tide of Irish domestic football history, then turned on 113 minutes.
Ilic made a parry save from Ciarán Kilduff. But the ball broke for Sheppard who was taken down by the goalkeeper.
Cue O’Donnell’s courageous moment as he scored emphatically from the spot, sending Ilic the wrong way.
Now needing two goals, Partizan’s frustration boiled over and midfielder Medo was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Sheppard.
FK PARTIZAN:R. Ilic; Rankovic, Rnic, Ivanov, Volkov; Tomic, Medo, Jukic (Babovic, 57 mins.), S. Ilic; Jovancic, Eduardo (Markovic, 84 mins.).
SHAMROCK ROVERS:Thompson; Sullivan, Sives, Murray, Stevens; Rice; McCabe (O'Donnell, 68 mns.), Turner, Finn, Dennehy (Sheppard, h/t); Twigg (Kilduff, 101 mins.).
Referee: Jan Valasek(Slovakia).
