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The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne on the brink of Champions League exit after nightmare spell sees Joey O'Brien's men hammered by Qarabag
SHELBOURNE are heading out of the Champions League after Qarabag showed their class at Tolka Park. Joey O'Brien's side hit the woodwork in either half and were still in the game until they conceded twice in a calamitous four-minute spell near the end. 2 Shelbourne are all but out of the Champions League Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 They lost 3-0 to Qarabag at Tolka Park Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile The final score was harsh and Shels might wonder what might have been but, after a 3-0 defeat at home, there will not be much patience for chat about ifs, buts and maybes. And, although there is still a second leg to come in Baku, the club's money would be better spent on scouting You can talk about small margins at this level but, at times, they can turn out to be like a cracked windscreen, appearing small at first before quickly turning out to be beyond repair. So, while Shels could have taken the lead here, and goals do of course change games, the likelihood is that Qarabag would still have won such was the difference between the sides. Read More on Shelbourne There was a second half fightback, too, but it lacked the cutting edge which Qarabag showed when it was needed. Whilst the Shels side was drawn from Among their ranks was Frenchman Abdellah Zoubir, once signed on loan for striker Emmanuel Addai. And, in Matheus Silva, Dani Bolt, Kady and Pedo Bicalho, they had more Brazilians in their starting XI than a beauty clinic. Most read in Football It quickly became apparent that the visitors would seek to profit down the left-hand side where there were a couple of early scares for Shels.. Lorcan Healy was making only his seventh appearance for Shels since joining from UCD before the start of last season with Conor Kearns ruled out with a hamstring injury and new signing Wessel Speel on the bench. RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield And he must have soon realised that he was going to be kept busier than in any of his previous outings,even if Shels could have taken the lead from a set-piece. Harry Wood's corner went deep to Coote who swung the ball back in. Tyreke Wilson's header was blocked and the ball came to Gannon but his effort hit the post and was then cleared off the line by Nariman Akhundzade. If that opportunity provided a small glimmer of hope it was quickly extinguished as the Azeris quickly reasserted their dominance with Akhundzade proving he had a lot more strings to his bow than just last-gasp defending. He got the better of Barrett down the left and fired across goal. Healy saved with Zoubir skying his follow-up effort over the bar. But the goal came in the 13th minute with Andrade both starting and finishing the move. First, he switched the ball from right to left where it was picked up by Zoubir. He waited until Bayramov made a run and then slipped through a perfectly-weighted pass inside Evan Caffrey which took him out of the game. Bayramov drilled the ball across goal where Silva had popped up to finish from point-blank range. BLOW AFTER BLOW There was a further blow soon after when WIlson was forced soon afterwards when he slipped as he was tackled which resulted in an innocuous-looking challenge leaving him unable to walk, leaving the ground in a wheelchair. James Norris came on in his place and he found himself on a mission where the main objective was not to find themselves further behind at the break. They managed it, just about, with Healy making two saves to deny Akhundzade as well as thwarting Bayramov. The closest Shels came to a chance to equalise was when Buntic spilled a Barrett flick-on but he gathered before Mipo Odubeko could capitalise. But the second half was a different affair. Wood was pushed further forward alongside Odubeko and the tactical adjustment came close to reaping dividends with the Englishman having two good chances. First, he was beaten to Kameron Ledwidge's drilled ball across goal and, then, could not quite connect with a wonderful whipped cross from Kerr McInroy. Coote, then, had an effort deflected behind for a corner. And, on 70 minutes, after Qarabag had failed to adequately clear a Wood free-kick, Barrett struck the bar with what looked like more of a cross than a shot. With Sean Boyd and John Martin thrown on, it was set up for a grandstand finish before disaster struck as Shels conceded twice in four minutes. First, Kady slipped the ball between Coyle and Barrett for Akhundzade to sprint onto. His chip over Healy hit the post but substitute Oleksiy Kaschchuk tapped home the rebound. Then, Ledwidge and Healy got their wires crossed with the defender's header sailing over the keeper with Akhundzade helping the ball over the line. SUN STAR MAN Nariman Akhundzade (Qarabag) SHELBOURNE : Healy 6; Gannon 5 (Coyle 46, 5), Barrett 6, Ledwidge 5; Caffrey 6 (O'Sullivan 66, 5), Lunney 6, McInroy 7, Wilson 6 (Norris 18, 6); Wood 6, Coote 7 (Martin 66, 5); Odubeko 7 (Boyd 77, 4). QARABAG : Buntic 6; Bolt 6 (Huseynov 77, 5 )Mustafazde 7, Silva 7, Bayramow 7; Bicalho 6, Kady 7; Andrade 8 (Kashchuk 77, 7), Addai 6, Zoubir 8 (Jafarguliyev 77, 5); Akhundzade 8 (Gurbani 81, 5). REFEREE : A Culina (Croatia) 7
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Shels shocked as Qarabag show gulf in class in Champions League second round qualifier
Uefa Champions League second round, first leg SHELBOURNE 0 QARABAG 3 (Leandro Andrade 12, Oleksiy Kashchuk 80, Nariman Akhundzade 85) Trust someone with a Shamrock Rovers link to kick-start the monsoon dumped on Shelbourne's Champions League parade. Pico Lopes is one of the few regular internationals in the League of Ireland and his Cape Verde teammate Leandro Andrade popped up to smother a promising start for Shels to this second-round tie. That was admirable given the magnitude of the step-up in class from their first-round victory. Losing to Linfield would have triggered a wider debate on comparisons between the two leagues on the island of Ireland but there's no debate as to how far ahead the Azeris are. Specifically, that refers to Qarabag. They've claimed the title in all bar one of the last 11 seasons, their monopoly derived from the investment that puts a value on the current squad of €25m. Conservative estimates would quantify the Shels equivalent at 90% less. While the gulf in class was evident in dispatches, the Reds did occasionally sculpt moments that could have brought with them something to the second leg in Baku. That they squandered those moments, coupled with switching off to gift substitute Oleksiy Kashchuk and Nariman Akhundzade late goals, that all but confirms Shels have used up one of their three lifelines to reach group stage participation beginning in October. Nariman Akhundzade of Qarabag scores his side's third goal. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile. Within the space of five minutes Shels descended from being in the tie to effectively being eliminated – a lesson as to the calibre of opponent in Uefa's supreme competition. All the warnings of lapses being punishable issued by manager Joey O'Brien, only a month into the job since his boss Damien Duff abruptly quit on a Sunday morning, weren't heeded by his Shels players. Ominously for the Irish title holders, Qarabag, on their home patch, in peak summer temperatures and a week further into their pre-season will pose a deadlier threat next Wednesday. Shels knew from their triumph in Belfast last week that three more ties were ahead of them on this return to the European stage following an 18-year absence. The second of those will be in the Europa League in a fortnight, the first leg away to the loser of another Champions League clash between Ludogorets (Bulgaria) or Rijeka (Croatia), who played out a scoreless draw. Flat feelings across Tolka Park were a contrast to the opening 10 minutes when O'Brien's call to begin briskly had the desired effect. From their first corner on seven minutes, Harry Wood's delivery was met by Tyreke Wilson's flying header which struck the arm of Behlul Mustafazade. Shels didn't have time to appeal before Seán Gannon's sliced effort rebounded off the post. A VAR check didn't award the penalty. Five minutes later and the Azeri kingpins grabbed their lead from a clinical counterattack. They were appealing for a foul by Kameron Ledwidge when Leandro Andrade drove at the defence from the right, switched play to the left, where Abdellah Zoubir and Tural Bayramo combined to square for the Cape Verde attacker to sweep home from close range. Akhundzade grazed the crossbar with a volley from a well-worked corner as Shels were stretched and all the hosts could conjure approaching the break was a header from captain Paddy Barrett which Fabijan Buntić almost contrived to fumble into the path of Mipo Odubeko. The striker was nowhere near as involved in this tie but his wingers both had chances to level early in the second half. Ali Coote's deflected volley looped over the crossbar before Harry Wood uncharacteristically scuffed his chance at the back post when found by Kerr McInroy. Barrett's cross also glanced off the crossbar as the sold-out crowd craved an equaliser but they were silenced by the late brace. When Akhundzade's shot clipped the post with 10 minutes left, Ukrainian Kashchuk followed in to tap into the empty net. Five minutes later and stand-in goalkeeper Lorcan Healy was left stranded by a header from Ledwidge that enabled Akhundzade to walk the ball over the goal-line while the row behind him ensued. SHELBOURNE: L Healy; E Caffrey (J O'Sullivan 66), S Gannon (M Coyle 46), P Barrett, K Ledwidge, T Wilson (J Norris 18); K McInroy, JJ Lunney; A Coote (J Martin 66), M Odubeko (S Boyd 77), H Wood. QARABAG: F Buntic; D Bolt (A Hüseynov 77), B Mustafazade, M Silva, T Bayramov; P Bicalho, Kady, E Addai; L Andrade (O Kashchuk 77), N Akhundzade (M Qurbanlı 88), A Zoubir (E Cafarguliyev 88). Referee: Ante Čulina (CRO).
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shelbourne see Champions League hopes dashed after late Qarabag double
Shelbourne 0-3 Qarabag There is little in football that can deliver a gut-punch like the blow delivered to Shelbourne in the closing stages of their Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday night. In the ascendancy and chasing an equaliser against their experienced opponents, the Azeris delivered a one-two that ended the League of Ireland side's hopes of progressing in Europe's top-tier competition. As things stood, with nine minutes remaining, there was still some drama to be played out next week in Azerbaijan. The Reds would have taken heart from their reaction to Leandro Andrade's early opener, in how they tightened up defensively and created openings of their own. Then their second-half performance had their opponents on the back-foot, as their aggressive attacking play clearly had them rattled. Tolka Park was bouncing and the visitors' clear discomfort led to them doing what they could to disrupt Shelbourne's momentum and run down the clock, including lengthy stoppages with players hitting the turf and seeking the comfort of the physio's sponge. And then the first blow to silence the Riverside and all but end Shels' interest in the Champions League - a goal against the run of play. Four minutes later, a messy third for Qarabag and the tie was done. Joey O'Brien's men were always going to be up against it, taking on a team packed with European experience and with a handful of internationals. But with a drop into the Europa League now on the horizon, barring the most incredible of turnarounds, where they will take on the losers of Croatian side HNK Rijeka of Croatia and Ludogorets from Bulgaria, they will be all the better for this experience. The game kicked off at a frantic pace, with a noisy home crowd getting right behind their team. Possibly too frantic for O'Brien's liking, as his side was open defensively and vulnerable. And 12 minutes in, they were behind to Andrade's opener. The Cape Verde international ended up benefitting from a poor ball, which should have teed up teammate Abdellah Zoubir, by grabbing the glory himself. He accelerated onto a heavy Kameron Ledwidge touch and raced down the right, spotted Zoubir unmarked in the centre but overhit his pass inside. Zoubir chased the ball out to the left, held it up for the overlapping run of Tural Bayramov, and found him with a delightful pass inside Evan Caffrey. Bayramov looked up, spotted Andrade and slid the ball to the 25-year-old, who tapped it home from three yards. The initial pass aside, the goal highlighted the blistering pace, movement and precision that has seen the Azerbaijani champions play group stage football in each of the last 11 seasons. Shels did their best to play on the front-foot and disrupt their opponents' fluid attacking play, and they should have had the lead goal prior to Andrade's strike. But while the woodwork denied Sean Gannon a first ever European goal, a cleaner strike by the defender would have put the Reds in front. Harry Woods' corner drifted all the way to Ali Coote at the back post, he turned it back inside and Tyreke Wilson's flying header rebounded off a defender to Gannon. He swung at the ball on the six-yard line, but his left-foot connection wasn't clean and the ball spun onto the post, and Wilson sent the rebound over. In truth, that was a rare first-half opening for Shels, while Qarabag had chances through Kady, one of four Brazilians in their starting-11, skipper Zoubir, and Nariman Akhundzade, who rattled the crossbar. It was a different story in the second-half, which started with three promising Shelbourne attacks in quick succession. The first had Wood and Mipo Odubeko stretching in vain to connect with a low James Norris centre. Moments later, Woods was unmarked at the back post as Kerr McInroy hooked the ball across, but he got his calculations wrong and hit nothing but fresh air. Chance number three saw Coote's promising 20-yard shot take a wicked deflection, sending the ball just wide of the target. Goalkeeper Lorcan Healy, who did well to claw away an Emmanuel Addai header, was sharp again on 67 minutes to get down to his left and keep out an Andrade shot on the turn. Shels continued to press and defender Paddy Barrett was surely attempting a cross when his delivery curled onto the crossbar. But then despair for the hosts in the 81st minute, as Andrade race behind defence, clipped his shot over Healy and onto the post, and sub Olexiy Kashchuk dispatched the rebound. Their misery was compounded four minutes later when Ledwidge and Healy were on different wavelengths; the defender headed the ball over his keeper and Akhundzade poked the ball home from a yard out. Teams and Player Ratings SHELBOURNE Lorcan Healy 7 Sean Gannon 6 Kameron Ledwidge 6 Paddy Barrett 7 Evan Caffrey 6 JJ Lunney 7 Kerr McInroy 6 Tyreke Wilson 6 Ali Coote 6 Harry Wood 7 Mipo Odubeko 6 SUBS: James Norris (for Wilson 18) 7 Mark Coyle (for Gannon 46) 6 John Martin (for Coote 66) 6 John O'Sullivan (for Caffrey 66) 6 Sean Boyd (for Odubeko 77) QARABAG Fabijan Buntic 6 Dani Bolt 6 Behlul Mustafazade 6 Matheus Silva 6 Toral Bayramov 6 Pedro Bicalho Kady 6 Emmanuel Addai 6 Leandro Andrade 6 Abdellah Zoubir 6 Nariman Akhundzade 6 SUBS: Abbas Huseynov (for Bolt 76) Olexiy Kashchuk (for Andrade 77) Musa Gurbanli (for Akhundzade 87) Elvin Jafarguliyev (for Zoubir 87) REFEREE: Ante Culiina (Croatia)
DW
03-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Russia: Is Moscow losing Azerbaijan as an ally? – DW – 07/03/2025
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have cooled following contentious arrests in both countries. Russia may be about to lose even more influence in the Caucasus. Last week, a police raid triggered a diplomatic crisis. Within a few days, the row between Russia and Azerbaijan had escalated, putting considerable strain on the already tense relationship between the two. It began with a controversial police raid in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on June 27. Several ethnic Azeri men were arrested as part of an investigation into crimes that date back years. The men are accused of carrying out assassinations and murders. Russian special forces clearly went in hard when making the arrests. Two of the men died, presumably as a result of the controversial raid. Baku reacted swiftly and strongly. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry condemned the "unacceptable act of violence" by the Russian security forces. All cultural events with ties to Russia were cancelled in protest. A presenter on primetime state television denounced Moscow's "imperial behavior" toward former Soviet states. On June 30, Azerbaijani authorities arrested two Russian journalists with Russia's state-funded news agency Sputnik Azerbaijan in Baku. According to media reports, the two were working for the Russian domestic security service, the FSB. The Kremlin was restrained in its response. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he regretted Baku's decision to cancel cultural events, stressing that the situation in Yekaterinburg "cannot and should not be a reason for such a reaction." The Russian foreign ministry pointed out that the dead and detained men, although ethnic Azeris, were holders of Russian passports. The following day, the Azerbaijani judicial authorities upped the ante by arresting more Russian citizens in Baku. They are accused of involvement in drug smuggling and organized crime. Photos from the courtroom show that some of the detainees appear to have been beaten. The men were identified on social media as programmers and tourists from Yekaterinburg. The spiral of reciprocal accusations continues to intensify. More Azeris have been arrested in Russia, in the cities of Yekaterinburg and Voronezh. Regional experts described the row to DW as yet another strain on the relationship between the two countries, after the Azerbaijani plane crash late last year. On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani plane carrying 62 passengers and five crew was hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile. The tragedy occurred over the city of Grozny, where Russian air defenses were in action. The plane attempted to make an emergency landing, but crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau. 38 people were killed. The Azerbaijani political scientist and conflict researcher Arif Yunusov believes the harsh rhetoric in both countries' media since then is not a coincidence. In his view, information policy in both Russia and Azerbaijan is coordinated by government authorities, and bilateral relations are largely influenced by the personal feelings of the respective heads of state. Yunusov comments that, for the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, there was a personal dimension to the plane crash. A presidential plane was also flying over Russia at the time of the incident: In theory, this too could have become a target for the Russian anti-aircraft missiles. Furthermore, the first official representative to apologize to the Azerbaijanis was not the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Yusunov says President Ilham Aliyev was annoyed by this. "Aliyev didn't mention Kadyrov by name, but he was sharply critical, saying that it shouldn't be other people calling him," Yusunov explains. He believes that if Putin had been the first to call Aliyev, the public confrontation could have been avoided. Independent Caucasus expert Kirill Krivosheev agrees. "Putin only made a formal apology, and it was clear that Aliyev was far from satisfied," he told DW. However, Krivosheev emphasizes that recent events in Yekaterinburg were probably not initiated by the Kremlin. Criminal prosecutors in Russia have a logic of their own, he says. "They view all diaspora populations, including the Azeri community, as organized crime groups. It's a widespread trend among sectors of the Russian elite." Krivosheev believes the resulting diplomatic crisis is simply collateral damage. According to Krivosheev, the government in Baku is using the political escalation to reinforce its position on the international stage. "It's important to Aliyev that he comes across as a commanding leader who is able to say no to both Russia and the West." The Azerbaijani political scientist and member of parliament Rasim Muzabekov says Baku no longer sees Moscow as an external power in a position to dictate the rules in the Caucasus. He told DW that Azerbaijan had begun to develop its own military and energy infrastructures, and that this, in turn, had annoyed the Kremlin. Muzabekov says Russian media rhetoric toward Azerbaijan has become much harsher, and that Moscow is now trying to compensate for its loss of influence in the region by exerting pressure on the Azeri diaspora. This could have economic as well as diplomatic consequences — for example, in the energy market. "We shouldn't forget that Russia is under sanctions. And Azerbaijan has helped Moscow to get around these in certain ways," Arif Yunusov observes. "The European parliament has set up a commission to investigate whose gas is being sold to Europe, for example. Is it Azerbaijani, or it is in fact Russian?" If relations between Moscow and Baku were to deteriorate further, any such deal between the two countries would also be jeopardized. The MP Rasim Muzabekov adds that other bilateral projects are also under threat: the development of the International North–South Transport Corridor through Azerbaijan, and the project to synchronize the Russian and Iranian power grids. Muzabekov warns that problems transporting Russian gas through Iran could also not be ruled out. Nonetheless, economic interests are still important to Azerbaijan, says the political scientist Krivosheev. "Ideally, the Azerbaijani economy would like to steer clear of politics. But while Baku still has scope for action, Moscow has less and less leverage." Russia, he concludes, is losing influence in the Caucasus.
Newsweek
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Inside Iran's Spy Crisis: Who Helped Israel's Attacks as 700 Arrested?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iran executed three men on Wednesday accused of spying for Israel, raising the total number of executions linked to espionage during the recent conflict to six, according to state-run media. The men were charged with smuggling "assassination equipment" and aiding sabotage operations targeting critical Iranian infrastructure. These executions come amid a sweeping crackdown that has seen over 700 arrests in just 12 days. The arrests and executions follow a ceasefire that ended nearly two weeks of intense drone and missile strikes between the two countries. Despite the temporary pause in direct hostilities, Tehran's purge of alleged Israeli collaborators continues aggressively, underscoring the regime's determination to dismantle a sprawling network of spies within its borders. Why It Matters Iran's sweeping crackdown has exposed the depth of Israel's alleged infiltration into Iranian territory. Tehran claims that Israeli operatives, aided by domestic collaborators, enabled precision strikes and assassinations inside the country during the recent conflict. This suggests Israel's intelligence services are now capable of influencing the battlefield with help from deeply embedded human assets. A picture taken on June 13, 2025 shows a partial view of a destroyed apartment in a building targeted by an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning. Israel carried out... A picture taken on June 13, 2025 shows a partial view of a destroyed apartment in a building targeted by an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning. Israel carried out strikes against Iran early on June 13, targeting its nuclear and military sites, after US President Donald Trump warned of a possible "massive conflict" in the region. More Getty Images What to Know Iranian authorities have disclosed that many of the arrested and executed spies come from ethnic minority groups, primarily Kurds and Azeris near Iran's western and northwestern borders. State media reports that Israeli intelligence leverages these communities' socioeconomic vulnerabilities and deep local knowledge to recruit operatives who use encrypted messaging apps and cryptocurrency to transmit sensitive military and nuclear-related information, complicating Tehran's detection efforts. Training and Collaboration Among the accused spies are individuals believed to have provided critical intelligence enabling Israeli drone and missile strikes on Iranian targets. According to FarsNews, some operatives received training abroad in countries including Georgia and Nepal, arranged by Israeli intelligence. Tehran also accuses Iranian expatriates and dissident groups sympathetic to Israel of supporting logistics, communication, and funding. According to a recent Economist report, Israeli intelligence's multi-year, high-tech espionage campaign—including Mossad agents posing as foreign nationals—has played a pivotal role in gathering intelligence on Iran's accelerating nuclear program and missile capabilities, with alleged cooperation from U.S. agencies. A man reads a book named "The Mossad in Tehran" as he takes shelter with others in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iran missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv,... A man reads a book named "The Mossad in Tehran" as he takes shelter with others in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iran missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. More Oded Balilty/AP Photo Human Rights Groups Warning Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned Iran's intensifying crackdown following the ceasefire that ended nearly two weeks of conflict. They warn the government is using the conflict as a pretext to escalate repression, citing concerns over forced confessions, lack of due process, and the rising use of capital punishment. Rights advocates are calling for transparent investigations and judicial oversight, warning that the wave of arrests and executions could further destabilize an already fragile and volatile situation. What People Are Saying Amnesty International: "Iranian authorities must halt all plans to carry out arbitrary executions and protect all those arrested over accusations of espionage for Israel from enforced disappearance, torture and other ill‑treatment." Iran's Fars News Agency: "Since the beginning of Israel's attack on Iran, the Zionist regime's spy network has been highly active in the country." What Happens Next As Tehran seeks to consolidate control after the conflict, the balance between national security and human rights remains a critical and unresolved issue. The international community continues to watch closely as tensions simmer and Iran's spy crisis deepens.
