Shamrock Rovers - 0 Dublin City - 0 Shamrock Rovers' Keith Doyle and David McGill, a Dublin City substitute only on the pitch three minutes, were sent off to provide an undeserved postscript to a full-blooded but fair contest that sadly ended scoreless.
The chief incident of note came seven minutes from time following a dreadful, lunging tackle by McGill on Doyle down by the stand-side touchline.
Doyle reacted badly, tripping the Dublin City midfielder in retaliation, a move which resulted in a bout of shoving. Referee Ian Stokes regained control and sent both players off.
Rovers then almost snatched the three points with their best opening of the night on 90 minutes, but Shane Robinson looped his header over the bar from a Steven Gough cross.
Eleven minutes earlier Robinson had hit a post when Dublin goalkeeper Robbie Horgan misjudged his cross from the right.
A hectic second half was in contrast to the first when we had to wait until two minutes into stoppage time to register a first shot on target.
Fittingly, that came from City striker Gary O'Neill who tormented Rovers all night. Collecting the ball almost on the left touchline some 30 yards out, O'Neill turned and ran across three defenders before firing in a curling, right-footed shot that Rovers' goalkeeper Noel Mooney had to turn around a post.
O'Neill's industry then carved out two openings early in the second half; Keith Foy shot wide off his weaker right foot and Paul Crowley drew a good save from Mooney.
Rovers carved their own openings too. A jinking Stephen Grant run on 53 minutes ended with a cross met by Mark O'Brien's header, which was hacked clear by Robbie Horgan.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mooney; Croly, Palmer, Gough, Doyle; O'Brien (McGuinness, 62 mins), Caffrey, O'Halloran (Tracey, 80 mins); Robinson, Molloy, Rutherford (Grant, 28 mins).
DUBLIN CITY: Horgan; Burke, Whelehan, Griffin, Byrne; C O'Connor, Crowley, Colwell, Gleeson (Tierney, 72 mins), Foy (McGill, 80 mins); O'Neill (Hughes, 85 mins).
Referee: Ian Stokes (Dublin).
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