SHAMROCK ROVERS TRAVELLED to Czechia with belief borne out of their experiences and a sense of belonging on a stage like this.
But this turned into a bruising contest against Sparta Prague as Stephen Bradley’s side lost 4-1 and were provided a stark reminder of the work to be done on opening night of the Uefa Conference League.
They were not the sole architects of their downfall as the hosts dominated possession and carried more threat in the final third but mistakes in possession and defensive lapses in concentration contributed to a defeat that was as frustrating as it was deflating.
Sparta’s fourth in the 90th minute came when Rovers chased a second goal to try and force a dramatic comeback. Instead the returning captain Lukas Haraslin savoured a simple tap-in as they broke to devasting effect.
Their opening two goals came in the final 12 minutes of the first half – the second just moments before the break – and the third came five minutes after the interval.
They were both the result of corner kicks – one played long and the other taken short – and while the stated task by Bradley to qualify for the knockout phase for successive season is by no means daunting, they will have to pick themselves up quickly.
Danny Mandroiu, at least, came off the bench to provide a reminder of the ability they do have to hurt teams when he produced a fine swivel and turn in the box to fire home with his left foot in the 82nd minute.
It was their first attempt on goal compared to 17 for the hosts.
Around the 70th minute mark the 920 travelling fans consoled themselves with chants of “champions again olé, ole,” referencing their impending fifth League of Ireland title in six seasons.
They will most likely have it wrapped up by the time they welcome Celje to Tallaght Stadium on 23 October, a fixture that was always going to carry great significance but will have even more after Rovers were unable to produce a memorable result here.
Bradley and captain Roberto Lopes spoke with conviction beforehand about the trajectory they want to take Rovers in Europe as they were joined by Shelbourne in this competition.
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They don’t want to be satisfied with nights like this and settle for becoming comfortable in Europe’s third tier competition.
Sparta was the ideal litmus test not just of Rovers’ quality but also of the progress they have made over the last 12 months given they were comfortably swept aside 6-2 on aggregate by the Czech club in the second round of Champions League qualifying last season.
This was a different kind of scenario, of course, given that was a two-legged qualifier and this was the opening gambit of a six-game league phase campaign in which Bradley must plot a way to notch at least seven points to most likely ensure progress to the knockout phase.
Goal difference meant they had to make do with a play-off place to try and reach the last 16 previously so the concession of that four approaching injury time will sting.
There were only three survivors from that starting XI against Prague last time out in the Rovers team – Lopes, Darragh Nugent and Josh Honohan.
Bradley also made three changes from the side that effectively sealed the Premier Division title with a 2-1 win over Bohemians on Friday.
Midfield was the primary area of focus with Mandroiu and Dylan Watts dropping out to be replaced by Nugent and Aaron McEneff.
The thinking behind that became clear as Sparta dominated possession – 71% by the end of the night with 646 passes compared to Rovers 168.
The away side needed to cover ground and try to close space in a compact defensive shape.
John McGovern was also preferred to Graham Burke to support striker Rory Gaffney in attack with the instruction to get as close together as possible to try and make the ball stick in their final third to relieve the pressure.
Prague, likewise, had only three players from the July 2024 meeting in action from the start but they were as coherent and confident as you would expect from a side top of their domestic league and had won all five home games as well as their three in European qualifiers.
They chose to be direct with their running down the Rovers right, putting Danny Grant under pressure in one on one situations while switching focus on the other side with early crosses into the box.
And yet, despite Sivert Mannsverk and Veljko Birmancevic probing most often, there wasn’t a shot on target until they broke the deadlock on 33 minutes with a goal that owed as much to Rovers being both unnecessarily hurried while in possession and then hesitant when they were defending their own box.
Lukas Sadilek was the one who blocked Healy’s attempted goalline clearance into the roof of the net and just seconds earlier the Rovers midfielder had been hounded off the ball after he showed to feet for a quick throw from Grant.
Sparta countered swiftly across the pitch and a hopeful flick from Birmancevic on the left side of the box should have been dealt with by Honohan and Lopes. The latter swiped at fresh air with his clearance, Albion Rrahmani’s shot trickled across the goal where Healy had Sadilek over his shoulder to bundle the ball in.
Gifting up such a goal in those circumstances was a sickener, and on 44 minutes it was compounded with the concession of a second from a corner kick.
Sadliek’s delivery was pinpoint for the run of Adam Sevinsky a couple of yards to the right of the penalty spot. He had a free header, Ed McGinty’s reaction save was pounced on by Martin Suchomel who beat Healy to fire home.
Rovers needed to regroup but within five minutes of the second half an unlikely revival was well and truly beyond them when Birmancevic and Sadilek played a short corner for a two on one.
The latter was able to get to the end line to loft a cross into the six-yard box where captain Asger Sorensen had another free header.
Bradley made a quadruple substitution on the hour and two of those – Watts and Mandroiu – combined for the consolation with the former delivering a corner that caused the first bit of concern in the Sparta box.
Rovers thought they were at least able to finish on a high with that goal but on a night Sparta punished mistakes they had the final say with Haraslin’s tap-in.
Sparta Prague: Peter Vindahl; Adam Sevínsky, Asger Sorensen (captain), Jaroslav Zeleny; Pavel Kaderabek, Lukas Sadilek, Sivert Mannsverk, Martin Suchomel; Veljko Birmancevic (Lukas Haraslin 68), Jan Kuchta, Albion Rrahmani (Garang Kuol 59).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes (captain), Dan Cleary; Danny Grant, Matt Healy (Connor Malley 77), Darragh Nugent (Dylan Watts 60), Aaron McEneff (Graham Burke 60), Josh Honohan; John McGovern (Danny Mandroiu 60), Rory Gaffney (Michael Noonan 60).
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Sparta make Shamrock Rovers pay for mistakes with 4-1 win in Prague
Sparta Prague 4
Shamrock Rovers 1
SHAMROCK ROVERS TRAVELLED to Czechia with belief borne out of their experiences and a sense of belonging on a stage like this.
But this turned into a bruising contest against Sparta Prague as Stephen Bradley’s side lost 4-1 and were provided a stark reminder of the work to be done on opening night of the Uefa Conference League.
They were not the sole architects of their downfall as the hosts dominated possession and carried more threat in the final third but mistakes in possession and defensive lapses in concentration contributed to a defeat that was as frustrating as it was deflating.
Sparta’s fourth in the 90th minute came when Rovers chased a second goal to try and force a dramatic comeback. Instead the returning captain Lukas Haraslin savoured a simple tap-in as they broke to devasting effect.
Their opening two goals came in the final 12 minutes of the first half – the second just moments before the break – and the third came five minutes after the interval.
They were both the result of corner kicks – one played long and the other taken short – and while the stated task by Bradley to qualify for the knockout phase for successive season is by no means daunting, they will have to pick themselves up quickly.
Danny Mandroiu, at least, came off the bench to provide a reminder of the ability they do have to hurt teams when he produced a fine swivel and turn in the box to fire home with his left foot in the 82nd minute.
It was their first attempt on goal compared to 17 for the hosts.
Around the 70th minute mark the 920 travelling fans consoled themselves with chants of “champions again olé, ole,” referencing their impending fifth League of Ireland title in six seasons.
They will most likely have it wrapped up by the time they welcome Celje to Tallaght Stadium on 23 October, a fixture that was always going to carry great significance but will have even more after Rovers were unable to produce a memorable result here.
Bradley and captain Roberto Lopes spoke with conviction beforehand about the trajectory they want to take Rovers in Europe as they were joined by Shelbourne in this competition.
They don’t want to be satisfied with nights like this and settle for becoming comfortable in Europe’s third tier competition.
Sparta was the ideal litmus test not just of Rovers’ quality but also of the progress they have made over the last 12 months given they were comfortably swept aside 6-2 on aggregate by the Czech club in the second round of Champions League qualifying last season.
This was a different kind of scenario, of course, given that was a two-legged qualifier and this was the opening gambit of a six-game league phase campaign in which Bradley must plot a way to notch at least seven points to most likely ensure progress to the knockout phase.
Goal difference meant they had to make do with a play-off place to try and reach the last 16 previously so the concession of that four approaching injury time will sting.
There were only three survivors from that starting XI against Prague last time out in the Rovers team – Lopes, Darragh Nugent and Josh Honohan.
Bradley also made three changes from the side that effectively sealed the Premier Division title with a 2-1 win over Bohemians on Friday.
Midfield was the primary area of focus with Mandroiu and Dylan Watts dropping out to be replaced by Nugent and Aaron McEneff.
The thinking behind that became clear as Sparta dominated possession – 71% by the end of the night with 646 passes compared to Rovers 168.
The away side needed to cover ground and try to close space in a compact defensive shape.
John McGovern was also preferred to Graham Burke to support striker Rory Gaffney in attack with the instruction to get as close together as possible to try and make the ball stick in their final third to relieve the pressure.
Prague, likewise, had only three players from the July 2024 meeting in action from the start but they were as coherent and confident as you would expect from a side top of their domestic league and had won all five home games as well as their three in European qualifiers.
They chose to be direct with their running down the Rovers right, putting Danny Grant under pressure in one on one situations while switching focus on the other side with early crosses into the box.
And yet, despite Sivert Mannsverk and Veljko Birmancevic probing most often, there wasn’t a shot on target until they broke the deadlock on 33 minutes with a goal that owed as much to Rovers being both unnecessarily hurried while in possession and then hesitant when they were defending their own box.
Lukas Sadilek was the one who blocked Healy’s attempted goalline clearance into the roof of the net and just seconds earlier the Rovers midfielder had been hounded off the ball after he showed to feet for a quick throw from Grant.
Sparta countered swiftly across the pitch and a hopeful flick from Birmancevic on the left side of the box should have been dealt with by Honohan and Lopes. The latter swiped at fresh air with his clearance, Albion Rrahmani’s shot trickled across the goal where Healy had Sadilek over his shoulder to bundle the ball in.
Gifting up such a goal in those circumstances was a sickener, and on 44 minutes it was compounded with the concession of a second from a corner kick.
Sadliek’s delivery was pinpoint for the run of Adam Sevinsky a couple of yards to the right of the penalty spot. He had a free header, Ed McGinty’s reaction save was pounced on by Martin Suchomel who beat Healy to fire home.
Rovers needed to regroup but within five minutes of the second half an unlikely revival was well and truly beyond them when Birmancevic and Sadilek played a short corner for a two on one.
The latter was able to get to the end line to loft a cross into the six-yard box where captain Asger Sorensen had another free header.
Bradley made a quadruple substitution on the hour and two of those – Watts and Mandroiu – combined for the consolation with the former delivering a corner that caused the first bit of concern in the Sparta box.
Rovers thought they were at least able to finish on a high with that goal but on a night Sparta punished mistakes they had the final say with Haraslin’s tap-in.
Sparta Prague: Peter Vindahl; Adam Sevínsky, Asger Sorensen (captain), Jaroslav Zeleny; Pavel Kaderabek, Lukas Sadilek, Sivert Mannsverk, Martin Suchomel; Veljko Birmancevic (Lukas Haraslin 68), Jan Kuchta, Albion Rrahmani (Garang Kuol 59).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes (captain), Dan Cleary; Danny Grant, Matt Healy (Connor Malley 77), Darragh Nugent (Dylan Watts 60), Aaron McEneff (Graham Burke 60), Josh Honohan; John McGovern (Danny Mandroiu 60), Rory Gaffney (Michael Noonan 60).
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