Mipo Odubeko on target against Linfield to give Shelbourne upper hand for trip to Windsor Park
Shelbourne
will have regrets but Mipo Odubeko settled this meeting of Dublin and Belfast institutions with a striker's finish.
Sean Boyd picked out his strike partner and despite the attention of two Linfield defenders, Odubeko's left foot chip proved the only goal on a memorable European night.
'I love scoring goals for Shelbourne, this is the stage I want to play on,' said Odubeko.
For 90 minutes and change Shelbourne looked like the best team on the island of Ireland. Tolka Park was draped in red, besides 250 visitors in royal blue, as this
Champions League
qualifier instantly settled into one-way traffic.
Statistics tell the story of the first-half: Shelbourne had nine corners, Linfield had none. Shels created eight chances, but only two were on target.
Whenever Linfield broke out of their airtight defensive set-up, they gave up possession. Cheaply. David Healy's men did not want the ball.
The plan seemed simple: escape home to Windsor Park for next Wednesday's second-leg with a valuable 0-0.
Linfield's Kieran Offord is challenged by Shelbourne's Kerr McInroy and Kameron Ledwidge. Photograph:The Northern Ireland Football League champions looked fresh out of preseason as Shels pounded the empty-terrace-end goal with Kerr McInroy and Harry Wood a few rungs above the general standard.
It was not a night to miss a chance from point-blank range but that is what Evan Caffrey managed in the seventh minute.
The opportunity came after Euan East was treated on the pitch for a head injury when Wood thumped a shot into the back of his skull. On seeing East in distress, Portuguese referee Luis Godinho halted play and signalled for the Linfield medic.
After an on-field examination – the follow my finger test and a light shined in the player's eyes – play resumed with East quickly returned to the action.
Moments later, Caffrey directed a free header into the legs of Linfield goalkeeper Chris Johns. He was free because East fell over.
There was a loud penalty shout in the 22nd minute, which prompted Godinho to point to the spot, but VAR reversed the decision as replays showed Jonathan Lunney's shot hitting Ben Hall's arm. The arm was firmly attached to the defender's body. No penalty.
Referee Luis Godinho awards Shelbourne a penalty that is later disallowed by VAR. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Hall and teenager Matthew Orr appeared to enjoy the constant onslaught, passing Odubeko between them, as they invited the
League of Ireland
champions to pick them apart. Even their big centre forward Matthew Fitzpatrick looked like a dominant centre-half as Wood whipped corner after corner into the mixer.
Linfield were disciplined, staying in a low block and working themselves to the bone. They were not shy in the tackle either as Josh Archer and skipper Jamie Mulgrew earned yellow cards for heavy challenges on McInroy and Ali Coote.
Ethan McGee even got forward to get a shot on target before the break.
The sideline was quiet in comparison to the combustible, theatrical interactions to which Tolka had grown accustomed under Damien Duff. Shelbourne's new manager Joey O'Brien is less emotional under the bright lights.
There was the odd encouraging clap, where Duff used to regularly roar instructions.
The worry for Shelbourne's high-paced, lateral approach was that the stifling conditions would take their toll. It is easier to defend under a beating sun.
Wood was classy on the ball but Linfield's blue wall continually forced Caffrey or Paddy Barrett to curl crosses into the danger zone. Meat and drink for Hall.
Next, Odubeko might have thought he was offside when McInroy clipped a pass that gave him a clear run on Johns' goal. His first touch let him down.
Linfield's Ethan McGee and Shelbourne's Ali Coote battle for the ball. Photograph: Damien Eagers/PA
O'Brien reacted to a growing malaise by telling Sean Boyd, Daniel Kelly and Tyreke Wilson to warm-up nine minutes into the second-half. Odubeko survived the triple substitution as Boyd joined him up front.
Hall was immediately under pressure from two big centre forwards, beating Boyd in the air before Odubeko got the better of him from the next leap. Boyd took the breaking ball and picked out Odubeko for a cool finish beyond Johns.
That's three goals in three games for the former Republic of Ireland under-21 after he went scoreless in the 11 outings before Duff's resignation.
Shels should have killed off the tie. Boyd missed the target with a header as only five of 19 attempts found the target.
Both sets of supporters were sated; there were standing ovations when Wood and Odubeko were called ashore while the Linfield fans belted out God Save the King and Rule Britannia.
Shelbourne:
Kearns; Ledwidge, Barrett, Coyle; Caffrey (Kelly 56), McInroy, Lunney, Norris (Wilson 56); Wood (Chapman 78), Coote (Boyd 56); Odubeko (Martin 88).
Linfield:
Johns; Orr, East, Hall, McCullough; Archer, Mulgrew (McKee 72), McGee; Miller, Fitzpatrick, Morrison (Offord 72).
Referee:
Luis Godinho (Portugal).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Paul Casey hails Hannah Tyrrell after Dublin legend bows out with All-Ireland glory
Paul Casey paid a glowing tribute to Hannah Tyrrell after the Dublin star signed off from inter-county football with an inspirational performance in the All-Ireland final PAUL CASEY hailed serial winner Hannah Tyrrell after she bid a fond farewell to inter-county football by playing a leading role as Dublin reclaimed the All-Ireland ladies SFC title. Having acknowledged in advance of the game that it was set to be her final outing with the Sky Blues, Tyrrell kicked 0-5 against Meath before being forced off through injury late on. 2 Dublin players and supporters celebrate with the Brendan Martin cup after the All-Ireland final win over Meath 2 Dublin boss Paul Casey had special praise for Hannah Tyrell as she played her final game for the county Dublin joint-manager Casey gushed: 'What you see on the pitch is only a fraction of what Hannah brings to the whole set-up. "The way she talks to the younger players and even to the more experienced players, she's such a leader within that kind of leadership group and within our squad. 'She's just fantastic. I really, really hope she enjoys this because she's worked so hard for it. She's given everything at the age she is and all she has achieved. I think this is a cherry on the top.' After retiring from international rugby with Ireland, Six Nations winner Tyrrell returned to duty with Dublin and bagged the first of her two All-Ireland medals in 2023. The multi-talented sportswoman also won an FAI Cup with St Catherine's in 2011. It was an emotional send-off at Croke Park for the Na Fianna ace, who had to be replaced six minutes from the end after sustaining what looked to be significant damage to her knee. Casey said: "I think you saw with the ovation she got coming off the pitch, it was very fitting for her, albeit she would have wanted it in different circumstances. Hopefully she'll be alright. "She seemed to have done something to the knee, which hopefully is not a cruciate. She's hobbling around there but I'd say it could be a week or so before she'll get to the bottom of that one." Carla Rowe collected her sixth All-Ireland medal as she captained Dublin to a dominant victory that saw them return to the summit in the first season under the dual stewardship of Casey and Derek Murray. A Sam Maguire winner in 2011, Casey added: "It's absolutely fantastic. When you have so much experience as we have in that group, to get a day when they all bring that experience to the pitch is just superb. 'Aged like milk on a windowsill in July' - Watch BBC's GAA pundits ALL predict Donegal to beat Kerry "We knew when we met them this morning that they were ready for it. They had a pep in their step and they probably came in here bouncing. But it's nothing like the way they're going to leave here because it's absolutely fantastic. "A day when you're hoping that all your big names and stars will turn up and give a performance, I think they went over and beyond that."
Irish Independent
14 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Brendan Rodgers primed for Celtic's Champions League challenge after season-opening win
The champions needed a deflected strike from substitute Luke McCowan to edge past St Mirren with a 1-0 win as they started their Scottish Premiership title defence at Parkhead. Celtic earlier hit the frame of the goal through Benjamin Nygren, Reo Hatate and Adam Idah, and had a Callum McGregor strike disallowed for handball following a VAR intervention. But a strikeforce led by Idah inside Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-jun - with James Forrest and Johnny Kenny coming off the bench - looked in need of the reinforcements which Rodgers has been calling for. The Celtic manager was eager to praise his side's display and not labour that point, but fans will be keen to see new signings come in soon after Monday's Champions League play-off draw. The likes of Sturm Graz and Basel await Celtic as they discover their fate for the high-risk, high-reward games, which will take place in the final two weeks of this month. Rodgers said: 'We'll be ready for the games. Whenever they come, we'll be ready. The players are working very hard. 'They are always tense games. But we're in a good place and we'll take that game on when it comes. 'We've had a really, really good pre-season. The players are shaping up very well and are working very hard. There's real spirit and solidarity here in the team. So we look forward to that. 'We know whoever we get, it's going to be tough, but it will also be tough for them.' When asked whether their long wait for a goal against St Mirren underlined the need for more attacking options, Rodgers said: 'We created a lot. We got into a lot of really good areas and you have to give credit to the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper made some great saves. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think we were creative in the game, dominated the game. 'At times we moved the ball really well. At other times we could have attacked a wee bit more when we got into certain positions and been a bit more aggressive in the one-v-one moments. 'But overall, to play against that team, against that system, that's how you've got to work it and then you need a bit of quality to finish it. 'Sometimes you need a wee bit of good fortune as well. We didn't quite have that, some of them hit the post and the bar.' St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson saw plenty to encourage him. 'It was disappointing because we lost to a deflection,' he said. 'Defensively, I thought we were superb, very, very well organised. People use that as a slight against St Mirren sometimes, but that is one of the basics of management, get your team organised. 'We said we would have five or six opportunities to break and we did. Some we picked the right option, some we didn't. 'We didn't sit back the whole game, we pressed. I think we caused Celtic problems at times. 'But they have a heck of a lot of quality. If you look at the substitutes they are bringing on in comparison to ours, then it makes it a tough task.'
Irish Times
33 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Dublin manager Paul Casey: ‘I think everybody played close to their best. To do it on this day of all days is very, very satisfying'
Martha Byrne apologises and laughs into her hands at the top table. The invigilator of the Dublin defence has just won her sixth All-Ireland, lifting her to rarefied air – she and Carla Rowe are the only players to have started all six of Dublin's final wins since 2017. Yet all she wants to talk about now is the players around her and the way they kept shutting Meath down and made sure they got to the end of this All-Ireland final with a clean sheet. 'I think there's something really special that we have within the Dublin defensive unit. Like, a lot of us know what the other person is going to do before they probably even know themselves. And when you have the likes of Leah Caffrey, right up until the last minute, shouting at me: 'Who do you f***ing have?' Ooops! Sorry!' Nobody is inclined to take her by the ear for what dear old Bill O'Herlihy used to call an inexactitude. The afterglow of victory, of a moment met, of a plan fulfilled – all of it whips a halo around these Dublin players now, their season made whole. They had 12 points to spare in the end and were never in any trouble. Most pleasingly from their own point of view, Dublin were every bit as united and fearsome in defence here as Byrne says. They grabbed hold of this All-Ireland with a barrage of scores in the opening 20 minutes. But they saw it out with a defence which, through fair means and foul, gave up only five points from play all day. READ MORE Dublin manager Paul Casey celebrates with Niamh Hetherton after the game. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'I think the last game, the semi-final, brought us on a lot,' said co-manager Paul Casey. 'We really had to dig deep that day and probably didn't play the football we wanted to. But I thought they were just superb out there today. At times, their composure on the ball, the scores they got – their conversion rate must have been up around 80 per cent. It was excellent. [ Dublin blow Meath away in All-Ireland women's SFC final – As it happened Opens in new window ] 'But I thought defensively – when I talk about defensively, it's from number 15 back to Abby in goals. They were superb. But even the full back line there, Jess [Tobin], Leah, Niamh Crowley, Niamh Donlon ... to go out and give that performance was superb. But it was all over the pitch. I think everybody played close to their best. To do it on this day of all days is very, very satisfying.' Meath's Emma Duggan is tackled by Niamh Donlon of Dublin. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho For Meath the devastation isn't just the result. It's as much to do with the fact that after growing into the season and improving with every game, they froze on the one day you can't afford to. Manager Shane McCormack was at a loss to explain it afterwards. He reached for positives but he sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as the rest of us. 'I'm just gutted for the girls, to be honest. We were always doubted, even at the start of the year before a ball was thrown in, to even get to a quarter-final stage. But we did believe within our circle that we would achieve it. 'Dublin got ahead with the two goals and when any Dublin team get ahead, they're very hard to claw back. But credit to Dublin today, they're a super team with multiple All-Stars and All-Ireland medal winners. We had 16 new girls on to the panel from last year and this year. I think nine girls got their first ever senior start in an All-Ireland final today, so there are a lot of positives.' Dublin's Hannah Tyrrell leaves the field due to an injury. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho But it was Dublin's day. The biggest ovation of the afternoon came five minutes from the end when Hannah Tyrrell hobbled off, her final game in a Dublin jersey coming to a premature end with what looked like a nasty enough knee injury. The stretcher came on for her but she seemed determined not to go out like that. [ Hannah Tyrrell: 'I just wanted to prove people wrong. I'm very competitive. I don't let anybody win' Opens in new window ] 'She seemed to have done something to the knee which hopefully it's not a cruciate,' Casey said. 'She's hobbling around there but I'd say it could be a week or so before she'll get to the bottom of that one. I thought she was fantastic. If she is injured it's a shame, but I think you saw with the ovation she got coming off the pitch. It was very fitting for her, albeit she would have wanted it in different circumstances. Hopefully she'll be all right. 'I really, really hope she enjoys this because she's worked so hard for it. She's given everything at the age she is and all she has achieved. I think this is a cherry on the top.' For all of them.
