Valur 3-0 Shelbourne

SHELBOURNE’S DREAM OF a place in the group stages of the Women’s Champions League ended on Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 defeat to Valur of Iceland.

Victory for Noel King’s side would have left them needing just one more win to progress to the group stages.

But goals from Cyera Hintzen, Solveig Johannesdottir Larsen and a Leah Doyle own goal saw their Icelandic opponents progress.

Hintzen opened the scoring on 20 minutes when she was quickest to react after her initial header came back off the crossbar, hooking the rebound past Amanda Budden in the Shels goal.

Valur doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time as Johannesdottir Larsen used her pace to cut in from the left and breeze past the Shels defence before powering a drive that Budden couldn’t get enough on to stop.

And the Icelandic side made sure of their victory early in the second half when Elisa Vidarsdottir’s cross appeared to take a wicked deflection off the retreating Doyle and spun past a helpless Budden.

The Shels keeper was sent off for a second bookable offence as she remonstrated with the officials after the final whistle.