Stephen Bradley celebrates victory in Malta. Photo: Shamrock Rovers Facebook
As the games in the first qualifying round of the Uefa competitions draw to a close, we are left to reflect on a European first round that had mixed results for our three League of Ireland sides. With the introduction of St. Pat's this week in the second round of the Conference League, it does mean that we still have three Irish sides competing in Europe.
Aggregate Score: Derry City 0-4 Riga
Derry were probably the only of the three Irish teams who were the underdogs in their tie and it showed. While I am not fully surprised at Derry's exit, I am quite surprised by the margin of the loss. Riga are a very good side and have a strong financial backer. They recently signed Croatian U21 international Hrvoje Babec for a fee of around £1.5 million, which shows the calibre of players that the Latvians can attract. At the same time, they only attracted an average attendance of 748 last season, according to transfermarkt. That, however, is a story for another day!
I would have expected Derry to have given any Latvian side a game. Still, it can be tough to judge some countries' levels, especially with the investments going into some European clubs. All one has to do is look at the rise of Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol who were knocked out by Filippo Giovagnoli's Dundalk on penalties in September 2020. The following September, they managed to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Bernabéu in the group stages of the Champions League. Unfortunately, many smaller European teams have become "project clubs", the most high-profile example being RB Leipzig in Germany and it can be almost impossible to compete with these clubs. Perhaps Derry fell victim to that.
Derry fans will also say that the Matty Smith red card was a pivotal moment in the tie and I would be inclined to agree. I already discussed my views on the sending-off in my review of the first round (https://irishfootballfever.wixsite.com/irishfootballfever/post/conference-league-mixed-results-a-look-ahead) but the tie was lost in the Brandywell rather than the Latvian capital and the Icelandic referee's decision played a part in that. Overall though, it seems that Derry may have just been beaten by a better side and they ultimately crash out of Europe at the first hurdle again as a result.
Aggregate Score: Bala Town 2-2 Sligo Rovers (Pens: 4-3)
QR2: Motherwell vs Sligo Rovers
In my review of last week's first-round clash, I said that Sligo Rovers' progression was in the hands of Sligo Rovers. However, they made very hard work of it. Their disappointing European record threatened to rear its head again and I was having flashbacks to last year's loss to FH Hafnarfjordur. Only by the grace of God (and an exceptional display from Ed McGinty), do the Bit O' Red have another Conference League tie to look forward to this week in Scotland. I reckon Bala Town fans will feel very hard done by not to have gone through on their performance in the decisive second leg in the Showgrounds but that is Europe.
Ed McGinty's heroics saw Sligo through against Bala Town. Photo: Sligo Rovers Facebook
When the draw was announced back in June, I was expecting Sligo to go through and face Motherwell. I thought it would be an interesting tie, a real measure of the two leagues which are so often described as lightyears apart in quality. I genuinely disagree. I think the League of Ireland is much closer to Scotland's top flight than is generally thought. The two countries very rarely play each other and I certainly would not pay too much heed to competitions such as the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup.
However, Sligo's recent form is worrying and would make me a bit concerned going into this tie. 120 minutes and a penalty shootout saw them scrape by Bala, losing that home leg and a very disappointing 2-0 loss to UCD on Sunday would make me unsure as to how they will perform in this tie. I still believe that a Sligo team on-form should be able to give Motherwell a real go but it remains to be seen whether they will be up to the task. If they perform like they did in Wales rather than in Ireland, they will give themselves a real chance.
The winner of this tie will face Sparta Prague or Viking Stavanger in QR3.
St. Patrick's Athletic vs NŠ Mura
While Tim Clancy's men got the rub of the green with the first-round bye, they were far from lucky with this draw against Slovenian opposition. Mura reached the group stages of the Conference League last year, albeit through the Champions Path which Shamrock Rovers are currently taking on. Their only points in the group came with a win against Tottenham Hotspur so they are certainly a force to be reckoned with. While they are supposedly not as strong as last year, it will still be an uphill task for the Saints.
Like with many European ties, there is certainly the element of a "free hit" from an Irish point of view. The absence of away goals though, in my opinion, makes the logistics of this tie all the more difficult for Tim Clancy and his backroom staff. In previous years, being home first and keeping it very tight would have set a side up well for the return leg away. However, with no away goals, winning a tie requires winning one of the games. I think a draw would be a good result for Pat's on Thursday night but unfortunately, I think progression will be a tough ask. I would never write a League of Ireland team in Europe off but a huge performance in Inchicore will be needed for Pat's.
I touched on the point in my initial preview as well but, from a fan's perspective, an easier first-round draw before Mura would perhaps have been preferable over a bye - purely for confidence building. Unlike Shamrock Rovers who equally face an uphill task, there is no back door for Pat's. If they cannot overcome their Slovenian opponents, their European campaign will be over already. Fingers crossed they can pull it off!
If they can, next up is the winner of CSKA Sofia and Makedonija Gjorče Petrov.
Aggregate Score: Shamrock Rovers 3-0 Hibernians
QR2: PFC Ludogorets Razgrad vs Shamrock Rovers
Last but not least, we look at Shamrock Rovers. Their win over Hibernians was absolutely massive. At the very minimum, they have secured a Conference League playoff and another win at some point during their campaign will secure passage to the group stages of the Conference League. Anybody who watched the Hoops' performance in Malta will agree that the game was a very tough watch. Boring is one way to describe it but I would be more inclined to describe it as professional. They completely shut Hibernians out and made sure to just secure the tie. Perhaps it shows a maturation of Stephen Bradley and his side with regard to these European games as well.
The champions of Bulgaria will be a much more formidable task for Shamrock Rovers than the Maltese champions were but this tie, similar to Pat's, is a free hit. However, they differ from the Saints in that a loss is not the end of the world for the Irish champions. A loss will simply send them into the third qualifying round of the Europa League against the defeated side from the tie between Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia and KF Shukpi of North Macedonia. Coincidentally, a win would see them face the winner of that same tie in QR3 of the Champions League.
Rovers also have the benefit of being away first. As I was discussing in relation to Pat's, if they can keep the tie alive in Bulgaria, they can bring it back to Dublin where a likely sold-out Tallaght Stadium will try and drive them on. Ludogorets' stadium holds over 10,000 but their attendances are regularly less than 1,000. They have been champions 11 times in a row so again, the Hoops seem to be facing a project club owned by Bulgarian billionaire Kiril Domuschiev.
It will be a very difficult task for the Hoops but it is a no-lose scenario. If they can win, Conference League group stages will be secured for them. If they lose, they still have another two opportunities. If they can keep the tie alive coming back to Dublin, you definitely could not write them off!
Overall, the ties are much tougher this time around and there is less expectation on the teams to come out victorious but I would still be optimistic that we can get some decent results. At the very least, hopefully, we can improve the coefficients of both the league and the individual clubs.
Comentários