"Ed McGinty was the hero, the goalkeeper making three stops to drag his side over the line. Darragh Markey had the chance to win it after Daniel Cleary fired the first sudden death penalty over the crossbar, but McGinty was alert to push his effort wide. And when Pico Lopes slotted the next effort past Luke Dennison, the focus turned to sub Dare Kareem who also couldn't find a way beyond the winter arrival from Sligo Rovers."
"With seconds remaining in normal time, it looked like Rovers had done enough to efficiently see things out. A stoppage time double sub that saw midfield maestros Matt Healy and Dylan Watts replaced suggested that Bradley was thinking about wasting seconds rather than an additional 30 minutes. Drogheda United were throwing everything at their search for an equaliser, but time was their enemy."
Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United drew 1-1, with Rovers advancing 5-4 on penalties. Ed McGinty produced three crucial saves in the shootout, denying Darragh Markey and Dare Kareem after Daniel Cleary missed the first sudden-death attempt. Pico Lopes converted a penalty during the shootout, while Luke Dennison had earlier kept Drogheda alive in previous rounds. Drogheda staged a late push, forcing stoppage-time drama after Rovers made defensive substitutions. The result ends Drogheda's cup run and preserves Rovers' path toward further silverware, with McGinty’s arrival proving decisive in the knockout moment.
Read at Irish Independent
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