UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round - 1st Leg
FC Zurich 3-0 Shelbourne
Having defeated St. Joseph’s of Gibraltar in a heated tie in the first round, Shelbourne were in Switzerland to take on FC Zurich. Damien Duff would have surely drilled into his side the importance of a solid start so what happened straight from kick-off will have been stuff straight out of last night’s nightmares.
The hosts went on the attack immediately with Colombian forward Juan Perea finding space on the left side of the penalty area and he cut back to Ifeanyi Matthew who side-footed home from on top of the penalty spot after just 28 seconds.
The travelling Shels supporters at Letzigrund Stadion were stunned into silence and it nearly got worse after just four minutes when some slack defending allowed Bledian Krasniqi space on the edge of the box. However, Conor Kearns was equal to his curling effort.
After this rude awakening, things settled but the visitors barely set foot in Zurich’s half. Just before the half-hour mark, some more carelessness cost Duff’s men as Kameron Ledwidge gifted the ball to goal-scorer Matthew who turned provider to set Antonio Marchesano racing through. The Italian expertly dinked the ball over the advancing Kearns to double his side’s lead.
Camped in their own half during the first period, the men from Drumcondra survived a penalty shout just before the break when Perea stepped across the front of Sam Bone and went tumbling but referee Visar Kastrati waved the appeals away.
Marchesano should have had his second and Zurich’s third two minutes after the restart when Nikola Katic’s attempted overhead kick from a corner inadvertently found its way to him on the corner of the six-yard box but, perhaps being caught out by the ball arriving at his feet, he skewed wide.
That chance may have passed him by but Marchesano did find the net again on 57 minutes and Shelbourne will be disappointed with how it was conceded. A straight ball over the top from Mirlind Kryeziu caught out the visitors defence and the Zurich number 10 slid in behind to divert past Kearns for the third goal.
Shels did get forward for their first real chance on 67 minutes when Will Jarvis went on a run with purpose down the left and his ball into the middle was flicked over via a deflection by half-time sub Sean Boyd.
Ricardo Moniz introduced Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Armstrong Oko-Flex for the last quarter of an hour and helped set up Matthew for a rasping drive that whistled over the bar. There would be no more scoring meaning that FCZ will travel to Tolka Park next week with a commanding lead and Shelbourne have an almost-insurmountable deficit to claw back.
UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round - 1st Leg
St. Patrick’s Athletic 3-1 Vaduz
Jake Mulraney scored a brace as St Patrick’s claimed a 3-1 victory over Vaduz in the first leg of their Europa Conference League second-round qualifier at Richmond Park.
The midfielder netted his first goal after six minutes when he fired a free-kick into the the top left-hand corner.
Mulraney’s clinical display continued and the 17th minute he received a ball on the edge of the area before drilling his effort low and hard into the bottom left corner.
But the hosts’ two-goal cushion was reduced after Vaduz grabbed one back. A scramble in the box off a corner saw Danilo Del Toro react quickest as he poked home from six yards out.
But Saints’ lead was extended when Joe Redmond got on the end of a deep set-piece. The defender leapt highest, heading his effort past the goalkeeper to confirm a deserved victory.
The reverse fixture will take place at Rheinpark Stadion on August 1.