"By the interval Shels were two up ahead and coasting. Harry Wood's sublime 23rd minute goal and Ali Coote's deflected finish seven minutes later meant the tie was over as a contest by the break. The Blues avoided further damage but in reality they were swept aside. For Linfield and their manager David Healy, this is a third play-off defeat in six years."
"When the two Irish champions collided last month, Shelbourne ran out 2-1 aggregate victors, winning the first leg 1-0 at Tolka Park, followed by a 1-1 draw at Windsor Park. Uefa's bizarre qualifying process then saw their paths cross again after Shels lost to Qarabag in the Champions League and Croatian side HNK Rijeka in a Europa League qualifier."
Shelbourne progressed past Linfield 5-1 on aggregate after a 2-0 win in the second leg, securing €3.17m and a place in the UEFA Conference League league phase. The Dublin side arrived with a two-goal cushion from a chaotic 3-1 first leg at Tolka Park. Harry Wood's 23rd-minute strike and Ali Coote's deflected finish put the tie beyond reach by half-time. Linfield lacked invention in the final third and were largely outclassed. Damien Duff departed in June and Joey O'Brien took charge, presiding over a composed, classy victory. The league phase draw will be held in Monaco.
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]