First half salvo sees Athlone claim another big Champions League win
The first-time League of Ireland champions now have a Champions League clash against FC Breidablik to think about next month after they followed up their dominant display against Cardiff City on Wednesday with an equally assured performance against ŽNK Agram this afternoon, laying the foundation for their win with three first half goals.
On Wednesday night right winger Róisín Molloy was the star of the show with two goals and one assist against Cardiff City, but it was her left-sided counterpart Maddie Gibson who mirrored that display today, hitting the net twice and putting another one on a plate for midfielder Hannah Waesch, all in what proved to be a decisive 45 minutes.
After half-time they looked a shadow of what they were when they exploded out of the blocks to put their Croatian opponents firmly on the back foot, but by then the hard yards had been covered and Megan Plaschko's assured goalkeeping in the face of a couple of well-struck shots from distance was enough to see them home.
A factor in the turnaround was how the Irish champions were the side that poured much more energy into the opening half, something that could be attributed both to their style of play, and their greater intensity levels during that one-sided opening half.
That initial 45 minutes was as impressive as anything this fledgling club has produced in their short lifespan. Gibson terrorised Agram with her direct running and trickery on the left flank but it was midfielder Hannah Waesch who was the driving force as she controlled the midfield battle with complete authority.
A couple of early crosses from Gibson hinted at what was to be a productive route of attack for Athlone, and as the corner count started to mount, Kelly Brady forced the ball over the line only for the effort to be disallowed for a foul on Nika Radolović in the Agram goal.
There was just as much carnage and contact on the next corner kick in the 17th minute from Gibson, but this time the referee deemed that there was nothing against the rules and as the ball curved inside the far post, the deadlock had been broken.
Gibson turned provider for the next one, intercepting a sloppy pass out of defence and beating one defender before teeing up Hannah Waesch for a low finish five minutes later.
The second quarter continued in the same vein with no pressure whatsoever on the Athlone defence, but without any further breakthrough either. Excellent approach play from Kelly Brady and Molloy teed up Shauna Brennan from close range, but on a brilliant night for Brennan defensively, her touch deserted her at the key moment and she skewed her kick off target.
Two minutes into first half stoppage time, Gibson got another corner and yet again, she picked her spot in the far top corner, the ball sailing over heavy traffic to ensure a much more comfortable second half than Athlone Town might ever have imagined on a stage like this.
After scaling such heights, a little slippage after half-time was never going to be costly.
Athlone Town: Megan Plaschko; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Natalie McNally, Shauna Brennan; Hannah Waesch; Róisín Molloy (Lucy Fitzgerald 78), Sarah Rice, Israela Groves (captain) (Kate Slevin 70), Madison Gibson (Hazel Donegan 70); Kelly Brady.
ŽNK Agram: Nika Radolović; Mateja Bulut (Lea Kolčić HT), Kristina Nevrkla, Aleksandra Popović (Luana Vanjak 76), Maja Bičanić (Nada Barunović HT); Anela Lubina (Melani Mihić 81), Ana Jakobašić; Jasna Djoković, Maja Joščak, Ivana Stanić (Stela Veseli 71); Ana Dujmović.
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