Shamrock Rovers 3

KF Egnatia 1

Paul Buttner reports from Tallaght Stadium

SHAMROCK ROVERS PRODUCED another stirring performance at Tallaght stadium to leave themselves on the cusp of the play-off round of the Europa League.

Skipper Roberto Lopes and Aaron Greene added to Graham Burke’s first-half penalty to put Hoops very much in the driving seat ahead of tomorrow week’s second leg in the Balkans.

Last week’s rousing 2-1 win over Ararat-Armenia fell just short of keeping Stephen Bradley’s side in the Champions League qualifiers.

And the lingering doubt here is that this more emphatic display didn’t result in a bigger margin — Rovers left several goals behind them in an utterly dominant display against the Albanian champions.

The game began following a heavy downpour, making for a fast, if greasy, surface as Rovers began positively, close to punishing a slip by Azerbaijan international defender Zamiq Aliyev inside two minutes.

Burke seized on the loose ball to work a one-two with Greene. Goalkeeper Mario Dajsinani was equal to the shot to put it out for the game’s first corner.

Maintaining their bright start, the Hoops had several sights of goal in the following minutes, Burke twice working Dajsinani before Adam Brennan sliced wastefully wide after Greene had spun cleverly past Eneo Bitri on the left to cross.

Though Egnatia had played their way into the game, Rovers were rewarded for their encouraging start with the lead goal on 28 minutes.

Dylan Watts played a one-two with the influential Burke only to be unceremoniously knocked to the ground by Ildi Gruda to win a penalty.

Burke confidently sent Dajsinani the wrong way from 12 yards to extend his record of goals by a League of Ireland player in Europe to 16.

Egnatia responded minutes later with their first chance of the night, Adjessa Daniel glancing a header just wide of a post from Guillem Jaime’s right flank delivery.

And they were level following a VAR check which brought a penalty of their own on 40 minutes.

Having given away the foul for Rovers’ spot kick, Gruda was yellow-carded for dissent after going to ground from a challenge by Tunmise Sobowale deep in Rovers’ penalty area with no foul initially given.

But alerted by VAR, Latvian referee Andries Treimanis went to his monitor at the half-way line and rightly pointed to the spot.

In added drama, Ed McGinty saved Jaime’s penalty but failed to hold the ball which squirmed from his grasp. Jaime followed in to scoop home much to the frustration of Rovers’ goalkeeper.

Rovers very much regained the initiative into the second half, scoring twice inside 12 minutes to give themselves a two-goal cushion.

Both stemmed from Jack Byrne’s precise corners, the first headed home by ‘Pico’ Lopes on 54 minutes.

Against a rattled visitors defence, Greene won another corner three minutes later before getting on the end of Byrne’s delivery to poke home his eighth goal in Europe.

Substitute Jonathan Afolabi might have all but put the tie to bed on 65 minutes but for a dreadful miss when rifling wide from Burke’s lay-off.

Dajsinani prevented further damage to his side with the save of the night from Will Fitzgerald before Mulraney skied over the top as Rovers just couldn’t add further substance to their winning margin on the night ahead of tomorrow week’s second leg.

Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Sobowale, Lopes, Stevens; Healy, Watts (Razi, 69); Fitzgerald, Byrne (J. O’Sullivan, 77), Burke (Mandroiu, 69), Brennan (Mulraney, h-t); Greene (Afolabi, 58).

KF Egnatia: Dajsinani; Sota, Bitri, Z. Aliyev (Ajetovikj, 69); Jaime, Medeiros, Kryesiu, Diabete (Albanese, h-t), Yago (Ndreca, 81); Daniel (Montenegro, h-t), Gruda (Loukili, h-t).

Referee: Andries Treimanis (Latvia).

Attendance: 5,047.