Uefa Conference League third qualifying round second leg: Shamrock Rovers 4 (Gaffney 45+1, 48, Honohan 55, Burke 67) Ballkani 0
[Rovers win 4-1 on aggregate]
European specialists at work: Shamrock Rovers will play Santa Clara at Estádio de Sao Miguel on the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores in the Uefa Conference League play-off first-leg next Thursday.
The second-leg in Tallaght on August 28th, following 16 hours of chartered flights, is two days after Heimir Hallgrímsson names the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia.
Despite Rory Gaffney’s brace of goals, it is unlikely that Hallgrímsson was among the 6,419 attendance to consider capping a 35-year-old striker.
With Robbie Brady injured, however, Josh Honohan possibly convinced the Icelander to consider him for Hungary’s visit to Dublin on September 6th.
READ MORE
Honohan was excellent down the left before his 67th minute volley put Ballkani out of their misery and allowed Stephen Bradley run his bench ahead of Sunday’s FAI Cup tie against Longford Town.
The first-half was ticking to conclusion when Bradley and Stephen McPhail entered conclave. The best laid plans had yet to deliver an equaliser in this do-or-die, qualifier.
Only three to six million euro was on the line. We imagine the manager and his sporting director were hoping all Rovers’ possession and chances could turn into a goal before the break.
Gaffney obliged.
The Rovers system revolves around Matthew Healy picking the right pass. Bradley stuffed the pitch with capable midfielders yet there was no room for Graham Burke or Jack Byrne, with the latter deregistered from the European squad after a recent disagreement at training.
There is only seven Ireland caps between them, but with Danny Mandroiu on a yellow card, and under referee Mohammad Al-Emara’s eye following his third foul, the creativity Burke and Byrne offer suggested a selection error by the Hoops.
But Bradley is as much a tactician as he is a patient coach.
Twice before his goal stood, Gaffney unlocked the visitor’s rearguard.
When Dylan Watts sent him galloping off the last defender’s shoulder on 35 minutes, he hit a lovely finish that coincided with the linesman’s flag. VAR agreed. Offside.
Four minutes later, when Pico Lopes sent Gaffney clear again, the Galway man danced inside Bakram Jashanica only for Arber Potoku to block the shot with a last ditch lunge.
It was at this moment that Potoku made a silly mistake. The fullback leapt up and pursued the centre forward to roar in his face. Gaffney did not batt an eyelid.
Seconds later, Potoku collapsed to the grass in agony – sore throat perhaps? – to waste a few minutes and ideally break Rovers forward momentum.
The prankish behaviour backfired spectacularly. The revenge tour began in first-half injury time when Gaffney punished Adnan Golubovic inability to hold Mandroiu’s cross after a clever pass by Healy.
The striker abandoned his celebration to find Potoku for a chat.
Any concerns around Gaffney keeping the outstandingly talented teenager Michael Noonan in reserve were allayed three minutes into the second-half.
Rovers were rampant now, Connor Malley hustled to the end line and cut back for Gaffney who, with Potoku firmly attached to his shorts, produced a back-heel finish to the far corner.
Six minutes later Ballkani coach Orges Shehi put Potoku out of his misery, replacing him with Walid Hamidi.
It made no difference as within seconds Honohan’s lethal strike ended the contest.
Burke came off the bench to make it 4-0, offering clear proof that Irish club football is easing past the best Kosovo can produce.
Meanwhile, 2,000 kilometres away, Santa Clara were ending Larne’s European campaign with a drab 0-0 after scoring three goals at the Ballymena Showgrounds last week.
The play-off between Rovers and Vasco Matos’ Brazilian-heavy squad is a two-legged contest worth €3.17 million for the victors as well as six lucrative group matches up to Christmas week.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Grant, Cleary, Lopes, Grace, Honohan (Matthews 71); Healy; Watts (McGovern 71), Malley (Nugent 70), Mandroiu (Burke 64); Gaffney (Noonan 64).
BALLKANI: Golubovic; Smajli, Halili, Jashanica, Potoku (Hamidi 54); Deliu, Ismajlgeci (Diene 68), Letaj; Giovanni (Tolaj 81), Adetunji (Serebe 68), Kryeziu.
Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara (Finland).
