Fintan McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia qualify for pairs final while Fiona Murtagh mkes single sculls decider at Europeans
Fiona Murtagh won her semi-final of the single sculls. The University of Galway woman has an Olympic medal in a crew boat (bronze in the four at Tokyo 2020) and has been setting records in training on the ergometer (rowing machine), but this is her first big regatta in the single.
She has taken to it very well: in this race she swept past Benthe Boonstra of the Netherlands after a quarter of the race and was never headed. In Sunday's final (10.13 Irish time), Britain's Lauren Henry looks the hottest property, but Murtagh is a good tip for a medal.
The double of Fintan McCarthy and partner Konan Pazzaia also qualified for their A Final after a second-place finish in their semi.
They raced against a hot crew in Romania, who set a new record time for this event on the first day.
They did it again today, but Pazzaia and McCarthy tracked them and secured their place in Saturday's final (10.40 Irish time), holding off Italy to take second.
The rates of striking were very high, which very much suits a former lightweight such as McCarthy, a double Olympic gold medallist in the lightweight double.
The two other Ireland crews, both new units, will compete in B Finals.
The men's quadruple missed out on an A Final, taking fifth. Young scullers Andrew Sheehan and Adam Murphy joined Olympians Ronan Byrne and Philip Doyle – an Olympic medallist – in this crew.
The race was won impressively by Poland. Ireland retained a hope of landing a top-three place until the third quarter. As Ireland slipped back, Spain made the running, and they will join second-placed Italy and the winners in the medal race.
In the semi-final of the men's pair, Daire Lynch and Ross Corrigan were also outside the top three needed to qualify for the A Final. Sixth for much of their race, they passed Ukraine in the final stages to take fifth.
The Ireland women's double of Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen, who compete at 10.25 Irish time on Saturday, and the two lightweight single scullers, Jake McCarthy and Izzy Clements, have also reached A Finals.
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Illiam Ndiyae ghosted past the freshly-introduced Andrew Moran too equaliser and whipped a low cross into the box that bounced off two Irish defenders and was hooked goalwards by another substitute, Cherif Ndiaye. Kelleher's lightning reactions meant he kept the ball out, starfish style, with his left foot, but Sarr then reacted to squeeze the ball over the line. It was an equaliser Senegal deserved but was scruffy nontheless. Hardly a goal to, er, Ndiaye for. There followed one more moment of discomfort for Ireland, as Cheikh Sabaly stooped in the penalty area to head narrowly wide. The game ended with an incongruous shoving match, as Adam Idah and Cherif Ndiaye clashed during the long set-up to a late Senegal free-kick. The crowd broke into a round of ole, ole as tempers flared, and the cheer upon the ball hitting the wall was one to match the sound that met McAteer's goal. It was a rare moment of intensity, and a foretaste of what's to come when the real business starts here against Hungary in September. Republic of Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Matt Doherty (Jake O'Brien, 66′), Nathan Collins (captain), Dara O'Shea, Robbie Brady (Liam Scales, 84′); Kasey McAteer (Festy Ebosele, 80′), Jason Knight, Will Smallbone (Andrew Moran, 80′), Ryan Manning (Killian Phillips, 66′); Jack Taylor (Evan Ferguson, 60′), Adam Idah Senegal: Yehvann Diouf; Antoine Mendy, Abdoulaye Seck, Abdou Diallo, Ismail Jakobs (El Hadji Malick Diouf, 85′); Habib Diarra, Mamadou Camara (Cheikh Sabaly, 77′), Krepin Diatta (Lamine Camara, 63′); Abdallah Sima (Ismalia Sarr, 63′), Boulaye Dia (Cherif Ndiyae, 77′), Illiman Ndiaye Referee: Adam Ladeback (Sweden) Attendance: 32,478
