7 days ago
Conference League qualifiers: St Pat's fall behind to Besiktas in Tallaght as Shamrock Rovers contain Ballkani
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St Patrick's Athletic take on the might of Turkish side Besiktas, managed by Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while in Kosovo, Shamrock Rovers face Ballkani in tonight's Uefa Conference League third qualifying round first legs.
Stephen Kenny's Saints will be up against a stellar Besiktas side at a packed Tallaght Stadium, while Rovers will be aiming to keep their tie alive for next week's second leg at home.
Rovers kick-off at 7.30pm Irish time, while St Pat's v Besiktas kicks off at 7.45pm in Tallaght and you can catch all the action here.
Uefa Conference League third qualifying round:
Ballkani 0 - Shamrock Rovers 0 (7.30pm) (31 mins)
Athletic 0 - Besiktas 2 (7.45pm) (18 mins)
4 minutes ago
Athletic 0 - Besiktas 2 (14 mins)
GOAL! A second goal for Besiktas as Ernest Muci threads a wonderful ball through to the marauding full-back Jonas Svensson. The Norwegian lifts his head and crosses centrally where Joseph Anang gets a touch to it, but the ball falls kindly for Tammy Abraham who rifles home into an empty net.
7 minutes ago
26' Decent moment for the Hoops as Darragh Nugent digs out a cross for Rory Gaffney in the box. The 35-year-old marksman can't quite extend his neck muscles to get to it. Chance evaporates.
9 minutes ago
24' Ballkani continue to take the game to Shamrock Rovers so far, but they've yet to create a true goal-scoring opportunity since the low cross from Kryeziu to Adetunji.
10 minutes ago
Athletic 0 - Besiktas 1 (9 mins)
GOAL! The Turkish side have broken the deadlock in Tallaght and it's a soft goal to concede from a Saints perspective. Ernest Muci was given space to run into on the right before pulling a pass across the edge of the 18-yard-box.
The ball bobbled into the patch of ex-Benfica and West Ham midfielder Joao Mario who found the net with the aid of a deflection.
League of Ireland on Twitter / X
8' | First blood to Beşiktaş. João Mário with the goal for the 0-1 BJK League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) August 7, 2025
13 minutes ago
Athletic 0 - Besiktas 0 (6 mins)
have held their own in Tallaght so far. Besiktas just unleashed their first shtike on goal through Jonas Svensson who stung the palms of Joseph Anang, but a foul was given by the Slovenian arbiter for a push in the back of Jason McClelland.
17 minutes ago
15' SAVE! Ed McGinty is tested again with a powerful effort from right-back Geralb Smajli who tried his luck from range. The 26-year-old gets his body behind it and gathers at the second attempt.
A minute later Hoops' skipper Roberto Lopes picks up a yellow card for a hefty challenge.
21 minutes ago
12' CLOSE! Best chance of the game thus far as Almir Kryeziu finds space down the left-hand side of the Hoops rearguard. The Kosovan winger tried to square it for the onrushing Adetunji, but Ed McGinty got a vital touch to redirect the cross.
22 minutes ago
Impressive tifo display from St Pat's fans:
25 minutes ago
John McKenna and his wife Namu Kwon:
'We're the first Rovers supporters in. Officials here super helpful. Wouldn't take money for letting us in.'
26 minutes ago
There's no shortage of talent at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's disposal as Besiktas roll into town with Mert Gunok getting the nod in goals, while ex-Arsenal centre-half Gabriel Paulista is joined by Jonas Svensson in defence.
Orkun Kokcu slots into the double pivot behind Portuguese internationals Rafa Silva and Joao Mario, while ex-Chelsea marksman Tammy Abraham leads the line.
Former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of few noticeable absentees for the Turkish giants:
Beşiktaş JK on Twitter / X
BEŞİKTAŞ XI 🦅⬛⬜ @HondaTR Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) August 7, 2025
27 minutes ago
HERE'S HOW THE SAINTS LINE UP:
With a big challenge against Turkish opposition this evening, Stephen Kenny has made three changes from his side that defeated Waterford 2-0 last Sunday. Joseph Anang remains between the posts, while Ryan McLaughlin and Jason McClelland take up full-back positions.
Sam Grivosti joins captain Joe Redmond in defence, with an unchanged midfield of Forrester, Lennon and Leavy. Up top, Jake Mulraney and Mason Melia are joined by the incoming Simon Power.
Zach Elbouzedi (shoulder) and Romal Palmer are unavailable through injury:
St Patrick's Athletic FC on Twitter / X
Our Saints to face BeşiktaşChris Forrester comes in for Barry Baggley in our only change from last week's win in Estonia A strong bench includes new boys Darren Robinson & Jordon Garrick & Academy teenagers Kian Quigley & Billy Hayes #StPatsFC 🔴⚪️ St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) August 7, 2025
27 minutes ago
5' Ballkani have been the dominant force so far, with last season's top-scorer Sunday Adetunji causing some problems with his pace in behind the Hoops defence.
31 minutes ago
1' The first-half gets underway in Kosovo!
The man in the middle with the whistle this evening is Dmytro Panchyshyn who forms an all-Ukrainian refereeing ticket with assistants Oleksii Myronov and Volodymyr Vysotskyi.
It's pretty much the perfect night for football in the town of Suhareka in southern Kosovo. However, the climate is remarkably different for the travelling Hoops players and fans. Temperatures still remain slightly above 22 degrees with little to no breeze and night skies overhead.
37 minutes ago
BALLKANI'S TEAM TONIGHT:
Last season's runners-up in the Kosovan league are yet to return for the new season, but European action has kept them sharp. Tonight, head coach Orges Shehi lines his team out as follows in a 4-3-3 formation with Adnan Golubovic between the posts, captain Arber Potoku starts at left-back, with Brazilian threat Giovanni in midfield and last season's club top-scorer Sunday Adetunji leading the line.
39 minutes ago
SHAMROCK ROVERS LINE-UP:
Head coach Stephen Bradley sets his team up as follows with a solitary alteration from his team that defeated Derry City 2-0 last Sunday. Ed McGinty starts in goals, with Pico Lopes captain on the evening alongside Dan Cleary and Lee Grace
Darragh Nugent replaces Aaron McEneff in a midfield boasting Josh Honohan, Matt Healy, Danny Mandroiu and Dylan Watts, while Danny Grant and Rory Gaffney spearhead the forward line. UEFA graphics suggest a 3-5-2 formation:
Shamrock Rovers FC on Twitter / X
🟢 TEAM NEWS ⚪️Your Hoops XI to face Ballkani this evening 👊🏼☘️#RoversInEurope 🟢 || @sharp_security Shamrock Rovers FC (@ShamrockRovers) August 7, 2025
41 minutes ago
A strong message of support from Besiktas during their warm up:
And a message from the Beşiktaş players before they warmed up, with a show of solidarity to those suffering in Gaza they came out with training tops saying 'stop crimes against humanity' and 'enough is enough'.
Presumably to avoid any UEFA sanction, they removed the tops before they started their warm-up.
44 minutes ago
Since touching down in Dublin, Besiktas boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that he spoke to the FAI about managing the Republic of Ireland before Hallgrimsson was appointed:
'We had some good chats' – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms FAI approached him about succeeding Stephen Kenny
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that he spoke to the FAI about the managerial vacancy with the Republic of Ireland before they hired Heimir Hallgrimsson.
46 minutes ago
Aidan Fitzmaurice is in Tallaght this evening:
The Besiktas lineup is a sign of their squad strength but also how seriously Solskjaer is taking this tie.
He has named an XI with 10 senior internationals, four from Turkey, two from Portugal (Rafa Silva, Joao Mario), one each from Czech Republic (David Jurasek), Norway (Jonas Svensson), England (Tammy Abraham) and Albania (Ernest Muci).
Gabriel Paulista, who was once named in a squad by Brazil boss Dunga but never capped (and who later declared for Spain in the hope of having an international career) is the only one not capped at senior level.
48 minutes ago
Aidan Fitzmaurice treats our readers to the big preview detailing all you need to know ahead of clash with Besiktas:
St Pat's v Besiktas preview: Saints eyeing 'one of great victories in Irish football history' against Turkish giants
Stephen Kenny's vast experience as a manager in European competition, a road that began for him with Longford Town against Bulgarian opposition 24 years ago, has taught him a thing or two.
