Shelbourne v Rijeka – Croatian side draw level as Reds seeking huge payday in Europa League qualifier

Irish Independent

2 days ago

Live |
Shelbourne take on Croatian side HNK Rijeka in their Europa League third qualifying round second leg tie at Tolka Park this evening.
Leading 2-1 from last week's first leg, the League of Ireland Premier Division champions are just a draw away from an estimated €3.4million in Uefa prizemoney and further riches with a guaranteed place in the league phase of the Conference League.
Catch all the action as it happens here.
Toni Fruk
33'
44'
Corner
Rijeka
A couple of corners for the Croatian champions presents a couple of half-chances, but Milan Mbeng does well to hook the ball clear.
41'
Corner
Rijeka
Toni Fruk is orchestrating everything at the minute for Rijeka. After winning the corner, Niko Jankovic delivers the corner to Dejan Petrovic whose header sailed marginally wide. Shels not touch tight on the corners so far!
36'
Scoring Chance
Shelbourne
Player
Kerr McInroy
CHANCE! Brilliant response from Shels as Milan Mbeng crosses deep to Jamie Norris. The midfielder directed his header back to Kerr McInroy who stung the palms of Zlomislic with a rasping strike. Ali Coote can't convert from the rebound.
33'
Goal
Rijeka
Scorer
Toni Fruk
Assist
Ante Juric
GOAL! We are level in the tie and it's a simply wonderful goal from Rijeka! Ante Orec flicked the cross back to Ante Juric who teed it up for Toni Fruk.
Labelled the talisman of the Croatian champions, he cuts across the ball with a wonderful volley that nestles in the lower-left corner. Wessel Speel never got near it despite his best attempts.
31'
Scoring Chance
Shelbourne
Player
Milan Mbeng
The best chance of the game since Coote's opportunity earlier in the half! Mipo Odubeko digs out a wonderful cross to the back post. Milan Mbeng makes a late run, but can't quite make contact with the ball. Positive signs for Joey O'Brien's men.
29'
Corner
Rijeka
Toni Fruk threads a wonderful pass through to Merveil Ndockyt. Paddy Barrett does well to stay with the Congolese attacker and flick it out for a corner.
Rijeka get a decent chance from the set-piece as Ante Majstorovic fires past the near post. Shels' marking a bit loose there!
25'
Free Kick
Shelbourne
The twinkling feet of Kerr McInroy enables the Shels midfielder to skip out of Merveil Ndockyt's way before getting his ankles clipped. That relieves some pressure on the hosts' defence as both teams take a water break in the 22-degree heat.
19'
Corner
Rijeka
Tiago Dantas works a short corner with Niko Jankovic, but Kameron Ledwidge is alert and gets the block in to prevent the cross. Jankovic has just won a free for a foul by Sam Bone to keep Rijeka on the front foot.
16'
Rijeka have enjoyed the lion's share of possession thus far, however every misplaced pass is met by a chorus of whistles from the Shels faithful.
Toni Fruk is drifting around looking for half spaces to create from. A lot of the Croatian champions' play has been forced down the flanks where Milan Mbeng and Kameron Ledwidge have stood firm.
11'
Scoring Chance
Rijeka
Player
Ante Orec
Toni Fruk's initial free-kick effort smashes into the Shels' wall. The rebound falls kindly for full-back Ante Orec who swings a right boot at it - well wide of Wessel Speel's goal. Danger averted!
9'
Free Kick
Rijeka
Shooter
Toni Fruk
Great opportunity for the Croatian champions as Paddy Barrett clips the heels of Toni Fruk on the edge of the box. Free kick to Rijeka with Fruk standing over it.
7'
Dan McDonnell highlights the threat possessed by Rijeka's Fruk:
The Croatian TV director spent most of last week throwing to images of Toni Fruk in the stands and he's already very involved here with a few tricks and flicks that highlight why he is Rijeka's creative hub.
5'
Scoring Chance
Shelbourne
Player
Ali Coote
BIG appeals for a penalty as Ali Coote chases a long ball from Harry Wood. The Scottish attacker gets the first touch, but Rijeka shot-stopper Zlomislic got a vital glove in to prevent Coote from taking it past him.
VAR is in operation tonight, but it has not been called upon yet by the Romanian arbiter!
4'
The atmosphere has been rocking so far in these opening exchanges. It's particularly intimidating for Rijeka who have no travelling fans thanks to a Uefa ban imposed on their supporters.
1. Half
The ball is rolling in this first-half!
The referee for this evening's match is Marian Barbu who forms a Romanian trio with his assistant referees George Florin Neacsu and Imre Laszlo Bucsi.
It's an ideal evening for football in Drumcondra with sunny skies overhead, a mild easterly breeze and temperatures lingering around a sweltering 21 degrees.
45 minutes ago
HOW DID THE FIRST-LEG PLAY OUT?
Last Wednesday's first-leg was pretty successful from an Shels point of view. Despite falling a goal behind in the 56th-minute courtesy of a Niko Jankovic penalty, Shels responded inside two minutes with a wonderfully worked set-piece goal from Sam Bone.
John Martin, who replaced the injured Sean Boyd in the first-half, became the hero on 70 minutes as he directed his header into the opposite corner for a famous victory on Croatian soil.
46 minutes ago
RIJEKA'S TEAM TONIGHT:
Last season's Croatian champions will hope to extract some revenge on their Irish counterparts after last week's first-leg loss. Tonight, head coach Radomir Dalovic lines his team out as follows in a 4-2-3-1 formation with skipper Martin Zlomislic between the posts while speedy full-backs Ante Orec and Mladen Devetak keep their places.
Talismanic attacking midfielder Toni Fruk returns from suspension with ex-Bayern talent Tiago Dantas part of a double pivot with Dejan Petrovic. Meanwhile, last week's goal-scorer Niko Jankovic shifts onto the left wing behind striker Ante Juric:
47 minutes ago
SHELBOURNE LINE-UP:
Head coach Joey O'Brien sets his team up as follows with a solitary alteration from his team that defeated Rijeka 2-1 last Wednesday. Wessel Speel starts in goals, with Paddy Barrett captain on the evening alongside Milan Mbeng, Sam Bone and Kameron Ledwidge.
An unchanged midfield sees Harry Wood and Jamie Norris start alongside JJ Lunney, meanwhile Mipo Odubeko spearheads the forward line with Ali Coote and Kerr McInroy on the wings. UEFA graphics suggest an unlikely 4-3-3 formation for the hosts: