Shamrock Rovers 0
Derry City 2
Dave Donnelly reports from Tallaght Stadium.
GOALS FROM AARON MCENEFF and Barry McNamee earned Derry City a smash-and-grab win over Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium.
McEneff pounced on a mistake by Ronan Finn to sweep home a long-range shot midway through the second half before McNamee sealed the win on the break in injury time.
A cagey opening quarter yielded few in the way of chances as the Candystripes lacked a final ball to match their promising approach play and Rovers were restricted to shots from distance.
The first moment of quality saw Ireland U-21 international Ronan Curtis flight a right-wing cross to the far post that Rory Patterson was a hair’s breadth from heading home.
Curtis popped up on the opposite flank moments later, playing a one-two with the Austrian Lukas Schubert before letting fly with a low effort that Tomer Chencinski did well to hold on the ground.
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— eirSport (@eirSport) August 4, 2017
Barry McNamee scores for Derry City to settle the tie against Shamrock Rovers in the #BattleForEurope #LOI pic.twitter.com/azOpBQzPH7
Chencinski came to the rescue again just before the break as he got a big claw to Aaron McEneff’s free kick, which was bound for the top corner, and Rovers just scrambled clear.
All of a sudden, the game opened up and Dave McAllister drove a shot past the post before good link-up play between Graham Burke and Ronan Finn saw the captain turn a shot inches wide.
McEneff opened the scoring 25 minutes from time against the run of play as Rovers’ midfield went missing after Finn had his pocket picked and the former Spurs man drove home from 20 yards.
The Hoops just couldn’t find the target, and the closest they came was Gary Shaw’s close-range effort that rebounded off the post, but Derry held firm to complete a clean sweep over Rovers.
The suckerpunch came in injury time when Chencinski was caught forward from a corner and McNamee lobbed the ball coolly over the retreating keeper’s head.
Shamrock Rovers: Chencinski, Madden, Webster, Grace, Byrne (Boyd 83), McAllister (O’Connor 87), Finn, Miele, Clarke, Burke, Shaw.
Derry City: G Doherty, McDermott, Cole, Barry, B Doherty (Monaghan 65), McEneff, McNamee, Schubert (Nathan Boyle 81), Holden (Jarvis 57), Curtis, Patterson.
Referee: Graham Kelly.
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